Baked Lemon Myrtle Calamari
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 4
Calamari is a delicious way to start a meal but not always the healthiest since it’s typically deep fried when ordered in restaurants. We’ve chosen to bake ours instead and have added some of our Lemon Myrtle to the batter, which is high in calcium and adds a delicious, lemony flavour.
- Olive oil or butter
- 1 lb calamari, tubes and tentacles
- 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup white tortilla chip pieces (2 inch pieces)
- 1 tbsp lemon myrtle
- 1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsps all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Calamari is a delicious way to start a meal but not always the healthiest since it’s typically deep fried when ordered in restaurants. We’ve chosen to bake ours instead and have added some of our Lemon Myrtle to the batter, which is high in calcium and adds a delicious, lemony flavour.
- Preheat oven to 400°C. Coat two large baking sheets with olive oil or butter.
- Pat calamari dry with a paper towel. Cut tubes crosswise into 1/2-inch thick rings (do not cut tentacles). Set aside.
- Combine panko, tortilla chips and seasoning in a food processor and process until finely ground. Transfer mixture to a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of the flour and black pepper. Place remaining 1/2 cup of flour in a large freezer bag.
- Add calamari rings and tentacles to the bag with the flour and shake to coat. Working in batches, dip the flour-coated calamari into buttermilk mixture and then into panko mixture. Arrange calamari, in a single layer, on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake 15-20 minutes, until calamari is tender and coating is crisp and golden brown.
The calamari is delicious with our Finger Lime Aioli recipe!