This Keto Calamari is the real deal! Perfectly crunchy and tender it goes great with an easy harissa mayo dipping sauce!
You’re going to love this Keto Calamari if you’re a squid fan! Read on for tips and tricks on how to make the perfect calamari appetizer!
The first time I ever met Lauren’s grandmother we all went out to eat and someone ordered calamari as an appetizer. Now if you’ve read any of my past posts you’ll know I was not a very adventurous eater. My main forms of sustenance in college had consisted of chicken breasts on the George Foreman with a side of potato chips. Anyway, at that point in my life fried shrimp would have been considered adventurous, so the idea of squid was more or less nauseating. Not wanting to make a bad first impression I gulped down a few pieces without as much as chewing before I got the nerve to bite into one. It wasn’t half-bad and I now LOVE fried squid!
How to make Keto Calamari
First, you’ll want to source quality squid. Most grocers have frozen squid with either just the tubes or with tentacles as well. We personally love the tentacles since they get super crunchy!
Next, you’ll slice the squid into rings. Then you’ll dip them into egg then dredge through the low-carb flour mixture.
Finally, you’ll toss the squid into a pan of hot oil and fry until golden and crispy. Yum!
Does this recipe keep well?
Nope, this is one recipe you’ll want to eat as soon as it is made. Trust us on this one.
What is the nutritional information?
As always, you can find the full nutritional breakdown including the carb count (total carbs and net carbs) at the bottom of the recipe card. You can find the serving size/yield at the top of the recipe card. You should always double-check your specific ingredients as different brand’s ingredients may have different values.
To get a specific serving size you’ll want to weigh the final dish then divide by the number of servings. We can’t provide this information as your cooking style will vary from ours as well as the brand ingredients you choose to use.
Check out these links below for some of the awesome health benefits of squid:
More Keto seafood recipes:
Keto Calamari
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh squid cleaned
- 1 egg beaten
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Coconut oil for frying (about 1/4 cup)
- Minced cilantro optional
- Sliced Fresno chili optional
- Squeeze of lime optional
Harissa Mayo
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon prepared harissa
Instructions
- In a small bowl beat the egg. In another bowl combine the coconut flour and spices.
- Pat the squid dry and dip into the beaten egg then dredge through the flour mixture.
- Heat the oil in a 10" or larger cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Frying in batches making sure to not overcrowd the skillet, fry 2 minutes per side until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels
- Either serve as is or toss with cilantro, chilis, and lime and serve with the harissa mayo.
My son said "Mmmmmn this is good", which is good. ?
ありがとうございます。Arigatougozaimasu. Ta. ?
The coconut flour did not adhere to the calamari. There was quickly a collection of overly browned flour at the bottom of the pan. We tried with egg wash and then flour. Then we tried flour, egg wash, flour. Neither method worked for us.
Hi John, I hate that this recipe didn’t work for you! A few things, did you make sure to dry off the squid before breading? Was your oil hot enough that they sizzled right when the pieces were dropped into the oil? Did you substitute any ingredients?
This is fabulous! You are correct the key to crispy is removing all of the liquid prior to battering. It takes a lot of paper towels!