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Bocadillo de calamares
Fried squid sandwich
Bocadillo de calamares: Madrid's fried squid ring sandwich
Madrid sits hundreds of kilometres from the sea, yet its most famous snack is a crusty roll stuffed with hot fried squid rings, eaten standing at the bars around the Plaza Mayor at any hour. Locals order one with a cold drink at the counter and squeeze over a little lemon; some add a smear of mayonnaise. Chef's tip: fry the squid in very hot oil and for barely a minute, so it stays tender inside a crisp coat.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ lb cleaned squid tubescut into 1 cm rings, patted dry
- 3 ½ oz plain flouror Spanish frying flour (harina de freír)
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 ¼ cups olive or sunflower oilfor deep-frying
- 4 crusty white rollsabout 20 cm long, split
To serve
- 1 lemon (optional)cut into wedges
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise (optional)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Heat 4 ¼ cups olive or sunflower oil in a deep pan to 375°F, or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds.
8 minStep 2: Season 1 ⅓ lb cleaned squid tubes with 1 tsp salt, then toss in 3 ½ oz plain flour until every ring is coated. Shake off the excess in a sieve. A common mistake is flouring the squid too early: the coating goes soggy and falls off in the oil.
Step 3: Fry the squid in three batches for 60–90 seconds each, until the coating is pale golden and crisp and the squid is opaque inside. Lift out and drain on kitchen paper.
4 minStep 4: Pile the hot squid into 4 crusty white rolls, add mayonnaise and a squeeze of lemon if you like, and eat straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 33 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bocadillo de calamares take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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