Carrabba’s Italian Grill Fried Calamari Recipe
Carrabba’s Italian Grill Fried Calamari is a crispy, golden appetizer of tender calamari rings and tentacles lightly breaded, fried to perfection, and served with flavorful marinara and creamy dipping sauces.
Make our Carrabba’s Italian Grill Fried Calamari Recipe at home. With our Secret Restaurant Recipe your Fried Calamari will taste just like Carrabba’s Italian Grill.
Photo by Dome Poon
Carrabba’s Italian Grill Fried Calamari
A Carrabba’s Italian Grill Copycat Recipe
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Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Carrabba’s Italian Grill is a popular Italian-American restaurant chain known for its flavorful Italian cuisine. Founded in 1986 by Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola in Houston, Texas, the restaurant has grown to become a prominent fixture in the casual dining scene, with locations across the United States.
Carrabba’s menu features a wide variety of Italian dishes, including pasta, seafood, steaks, and wood-fired pizzas. Their recipes are inspired by traditional Italian cooking, with a focus on using fresh ingredients and classic flavors. Signature dishes include Chicken Marsala, Fettuccine Alfredo, and their wood-grilled steaks.
The restaurant is renowned for its warm and welcoming ambiance, often featuring an open kitchen where guests can see their meals being prepared. Additionally, Carrabba’s places a strong emphasis on hospitality, aiming to create a comfortable and enjoyable dining experience for patrons.
Over the years, Carrabba’s Italian Grill has established a reputation for its commitment to quality and the passion its founders have for bringing Italian flavors to the American table. Whether you’re craving classic pasta dishes or wood-grilled specialties, Carrabba’s offers a taste of Italy in a casual, friendly setting.
Fried Calamari
Fried Calamari is a beloved appetizer that has become a staple in Italian cuisine worldwide, prized for its crisp texture and delicate flavor. The dish features squid, typically sliced into rings or served with tentacles, coated in a seasoned batter or flour, and fried until golden brown. The result is a delightful contrast of crunchy coating and tender, mildly sweet calamari. It’s often accompanied by marinara sauce, lemon wedges or aioli, adding a zesty or creamy complement.
Historically, calamari has been a part of Mediterranean diets for centuries, with Italians embracing it as a way to highlight fresh seafood. Its rise to prominence in the United States began in the 1980s, becoming a must-have appetizer in Italian-American Restaurants and beyond. Today, fried calamari is a favorite not only for its flavor but also for its versatility, fitting seamlessly into casual and upscale dining settings alike.
Some of the best places to enjoy fried calamari include iconic Italian eateries like Carrabba’s Italian Grill and local trattorias that emphasize fresh, high-quality ingredients. Coastal cities, such as San Francisco, Boston, and New York, also boast exceptional calamari dishes at seafood restaurants. Beyond traditional Italian settings, variations like Asian-inspired calamari with sweet chili sauce or Greek-style calamari with tzatziki showcase its global appeal.
Whether served as a prelude to a meal or enjoyed on its own, fried calamari is a timeless appetizer that satisfies cravings for both comfort and sophistication.
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Carrabba's Italian Grill Fried Calamari Recipe
Carrabba's Italian Grill Fried Calamari is a crispy, golden appetizer of tender calamari rings and tentacles lightly breaded, fried to perfection, and served with flavorful marinara and creamy dipping sauces. Make our Carrabba's Italian Grill Fried Calamari Recipe at home. With our Secret Restaurant Recipe your Fried Calamari will taste just like Carrabba's Italian Grill.
Yield: 1 Appetizer Platter
Ingredients
- Carrabba's Italian Grill Marinara Sauce (See the Recipe Box below for this Recipe)
- 1 pound fresh Calamari cleaned and sliced into rings (tentacles can be included)
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
- Vegetable Oil for frying
- Fresh Parsley chopped, to garnish
- Lemon Wedges to serve
Instructions
- Prepare Carrabba's Italian Grill Marinara Sauce according to the recipe in the Recipe Box below. Set aside.
- Place cleaned and sliced calamari in a bowl.
- Pour buttermilk over calamari. Allow to soak for 30 minutes to tenderize the calamari.
- In a shallow dish, mix flour, cornmeal, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and black pepper.
- Pour about 2 inches of oil into a medium skillet. Place over medium heat.
- When oil is hot and shimmering, remove calamari from the buttermilk, letting the excess drip off.
- Dredge in the flour mixture, coating evenly.
- Place calamari in hot oil in batches and fry for 2 - 3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Remove to a paper towel-covered plate to drain. Set aside and keep warm.
- Arrange fried calamari on a serving platter.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
- Serve with lemon wedges and Carrabba's Italian Grill Marinara Sauce on the side.
Carrabba's Italian Grill Fried Calamari
A Carrabba's Italian Grill Copycat Recipe
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Carrabba's Italian Grill Marinara Sauce Recipe
Yield: 1 Serving
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic peeled and minced
- One 14-ounce can Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried Oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
- Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
- Fresh Basil chopped
Instructions
- Pour oil into a medium skillet. Place over medium heat.
- When oil is hot and shimmering, add onion. Sauté until softened.
- Add garlic. Cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, sugar, salt and pepper.
- Simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.
- Add fresh basil.
- Taste. Add more salt and pepper, to taste, if needed.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
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Photo of “Carrabba’s Italian Grill” is by Dome Poon and is used by permission under the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License. Read the Full License Here – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/legalcode.en. Photo of “Carrabba’s Italian Grill Restaurant” is by Mike Mozart and is used by permission under the Attribution 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License. Read the Full License Here – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode.en. Thank you, Dome and Mike. Great Pictures. Photos may be “representative” of the recipe and not the actual finished dish. All photo licenses listed were correct at the time of the posting of the page. Recipe is original to Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes. Recipe created by Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes based on information from the restaurant and other sources on the internet – many courtesy of the Wayback Machine. Additional Information is from original research done by Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes and/or courtesy of Wikipedia and is used by permission.
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