Thanksgiving is a time to share stories, give thanks, and eat delicious food. When preparing your favorite calamari recipes this Thanksgiving Day, it’s important to accompany your delicious dish with the perfect wine. Wherever your Thanksgiving festivities take you this year, the below recipes and wine pairings are sure to please!
Ginger Stir-Fried Calamari Salad + Mohua Sauvignon Blanc
Image courtesy of Gourmet Garden and Enotria & Coe
The sweet ginger notes in this stir-fried calamari recipe pair well with a scented, dry white wine. The Mohua, Sauvignon Blanc, is a warm style of Sauvignon Blanc, which is versatile enough to offer a delicious partnership with freshly grilled fish and seafood.
Ingredients
- ½ iceberg lettuce, coarsely shredded
- ½ red cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 large cucumber, cut lengthways and sliced
- 3½ oz. snow peas
- 3½ oz. bean shoots
- 28 oz. calamari tubes
- 2 shallots, finely diced
- 1 tbsp. dried ginger
- ½ tbsp. dried chili power
- ½ tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 tbsp. lemongrass paste
- 2 lemons, quartered
Method
- In a large mixing bowl combine the lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, snow peas and bean shoots and refrigerate.
- Combine the flour, salt and pepper in another bowl. Prepare the calamari by cutting through the length of the tube and lay out with the inner surface of the tube, face up. Score with a knife without cutting through to the other side in a close diagonal direction, one way and then the opposite, to make diamond pattern. Pat dry with kitchen paper then slice into 5 strips. Toss the calamari strips in the flour.
- Heat the oil in a medium pot on high heat to 350⁰F using a thermometer or until bubbles instantly form around bamboo skewer). Shake off excess flour and fry the calamari 6 pieces at a time for 30 seconds. Remove from the oil and rest on a tray lined with kitchen paper.
- Once all the calamari are cooked, remove pot of oil from the heat and set a wok or large frying pan on high heat. Add 4 tbsp. of the oil to the pan and fry the shallots and ginger for 1 minute before adding the chili, garlic and lemongrass and frying for another minute. Do not allow to burn! Return the calamari to the pan and toss continuously for 1 minute.
- Pour calamari over the salad and serve immediately with the lemon wedges.
Recipe courtesy of Gourmet Garden
Grilled Calamari + Santa Margherita Sparkling Rosé
Image courtesy of Lucinda Scala Quinn and wine.com
This tasty, salty grilled squid recipe pairs well with the zesty citrus flavors of a crisp and fruity rosé. Santa Margherita Sparkling Rosé offers floral fragrances, white fruits, and delicate hints of red berries.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ tbsp. fresh lemon juice (1 small lemon)
- ½ tsp. coarse salt
- 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 sprigs fresh oregano, or ½ tsp. dried
- 1 lb. fresh squid, cleaned, rinsed, and well dried
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method
- In a serving bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Stir in the garlic and whole oregano sprigs.
- Heat a grill pan over the high heat. (Alternatively, you can cook the squid on the grill.) When very hot, add the squid and char each side for 1 minute. Remove from the pan and slice crosswise into ¼ inch rings, including the tendrils.
- Add the squid to the lemon sauce. Crack freshly ground pepper over and serve immediately.
Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart
Squid with Sweet Potato and Lemon Salsa + La Caña Albariño
Image courtesy of Colin Campbell and wine.com
The sweet potato, sharp lemon, and spicy chili oil flavors in this dish pair nicely with a very dry, crisp white wine. La Caña Albariño is a ripe style of Albariño, which offers a subtle peachy, mineral finish perfect for toning down the spice of the chili oil while enhancing the sweetness of the potatoes.
Ingredients
- 17 oz. (net weight) sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1cm dice
- 2 small lemons
- 5 oz. trimmed celery, cut into 1cm dice
- 1½ tbsp. pitted Kalamata olives, cut into quarters lengthways
- 2½ tbsp. capers
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 6 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped
- 6 tbsp. chopped parsley
- 2½ tsp. maple syrup
- 5 tbsp. olive oil
- ¾ tsp. salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 28 oz. cleaned squid, cut into rings, or butterflied and cut into pieces
- Chili oil, to finish
Method
- Place a medium-sized pan of salted water on your stove top and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the sweet potato, simmer for five to seven minutes, then test for doneness - they need to be tender but still retain their shape, so watch out that they don't turn into mush.
- Drain into a colander and leave to cool down.
- Next, take the lemons and, with a small, sharp knife, trim off their tops and tails. Now cut down their sides, along their round curves, to remove the skin and white pith. Over a medium bowl - to collect any juice that escapes - remove the individual lemon segments by cutting between the membranes. Put the segments in the bowl, then squeeze any remaining juice from the segmented lemons over the top.
- Add the cooked sweet potatoes to the lemon bowl, then gently stir in the celery, olives, capers, garlic, anchovy (if using), parsley, maple syrup, three tbsp. of olive oil, salt and pepper. The salsa can now be left at room temperature for a couple of hours, or refrigerated and used the next day.
- To cook the squid, heat up a ridged griddle pan or a barbecue until really hot (again, this is an essential factor in the cooking process). Throw the squid pieces in the pan a few at a time, without crowding, grill for about one minute each side, then remove, and repeat with the remaining squid.
- Once all the squid is cooked, toss it gently into the salsa ingredients. The heat of the squid will turn this into a warmish salad.
- As you plate it, dot with the rocket and finish with a trickle of chili oil.
Recipe courtesy of Ottolenghi