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The Capital Grille Pan-Fried Calamari with Hot Cherry Peppers Recipe

Make our The Capital Grille Pan-Fried Calamari with Hot Cherry Peppers Recipe at home. With our Secret Restaurant Recipe your Pan-Fried Calamari with Hot Cherry Peppers will taste just like The Capital Grille.
Prep Time1 hour
Active Time25 minutes
Chilling/Drying Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 25 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Party Recipe
Cuisine: American, Italian, Seafood, Steakhouse
Keyword: Seafood, The Capital Grille

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds fresh small to medium-sized Squid, cleaned and cut into 1/4 to 1/3-inch thick rings or 1 to 1 1/2 pounds Calamari Tubes, thawed if frozen
  • Peanut Oil or Vegetable Oil for frying
  • 2 cups Buttermilk
  • 2 Eggs lightly beaten
  • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 cup Cornmeal
  • 2 tablespoons dried Parsley crumbled fine
  • 2 teaspoons Salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
  • One (or Two, if you like) 12-Ounce Jars Hot (or Sweet) Cherry Peppers, drained and sliced
  • Sea Salt for sprinkling when serving
  • 2 Lemons cut into wedges, to serve
  • Marinara Sauce and/or other Dipping Sauces store bought or homemade, of choice, to serve (See Box Below for Links to Recipes)

Instructions

  • Place sliced squid rings or calamari tubes onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels. Cover with additional paper towel.
  • Place in refrigerator for 1 hour to dry.
  • Pour about 2 inches oil into a large Dutch oven or heavy cooking pot.
  • Preheat oil to 365ºF
  • Pour buttermilk and eggs into a medium bowl. Whisk milk and eggs together. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, add flour, cornmeal, parsley, salt, and pepper. mix well. Set aside.
  • Remove squid rings from refrigerator.
  • Add dried rings to the buttermilk. Work in batches if total rings do not fit. Toss to fully coat. Make sure all the pieces are well-coated.
  • Working in batches, remove a small amount of rings (use a large slotted spoon or strainer and let the excess buttermilk drip off) and move to the flour mixture.
  • Use your hands to gently toss the rings in the flour, making sure every piece is covered completely and no rings are sticking together.
  • Gently shake off the excess flour and carefully place breaded rings into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, usually around 50 seconds. Be careful - These cook very quickly, and if overcooked become extremely rubbery.
  • Remove browned calamari to a paper towel-covered plate to drain.
  • Let the oil come back up to temperature, then repeat with remaining batches until all rings are breaded and cooked.
  • Place all cooked calamari on a large serving dish or bowl.
  • Sprinkle with as many sliced peppers as you like and looks good.
  • Sprinkle with sea salt, to taste.
  • Serve hot with lemon wedges and marinara sauce and/or other dipping sauces (See Box Below for Links to some good Restaurant Recipes).

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