When we posted Calamari for Kids a few weeks ago, it was fun to see your reactions. Some people were excited: they had simply never thought of calamari as a possible food for babies to enjoy and practice eating! Others were apprehensive: perhaps they themselves had only had deep fried calamari, so they weren't quite confident preparing and serving for their little ones.
One thing everyone saw? That the health benefits of calamari - including being a low-fat protein and containing important omega-3 fatty acids - made it a great food to include in a healthy diet.
Our intern from Johnson & Wales University, Mallory, saw the opportunity to make calamari a little more approachable for those not yet ready to tackle tubes, or for kids who are used to their favorite foods and not quite ready to branch out. She created two great recipes that use a ground-style calamari to create a presentation and texture that is more familiar, like a burger or chicken nugget.
Because of calamari's naturally mild flavor, you can add a variety of dipping sauces or toppings to change up the culinary theme of these. You can serve a classic seafood sandwich with tartar sauce and lettuce for your kids, while adding a sriracha aioli to your own for a more grown-up flavor. You can also play around with the ingredients for the mix to adjust the flavor profile as you wish.
Calamari Bites
1 lb. The Town Dock Calamari
2 Tsp. Sugar
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Ground Black Pepper
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
½ Inch of Ginger, minced
2 ½ Tbsp. Cornstarch
1/3 C. Flour
2 Tsp. Sesame oil
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the mixture is smooth, with a paste-like consistency.
- Boil water. Using two metal spoons, form the mixture into bite size balls.
- Drop the squid nuggets into boiling water and cook for 30 to 60 seconds, until the nugget become firm.
- Remove nuggets from water pat them dry.
- Fry nuggets in oil or bake or air fry at 400° until golden.
Calamari Burger
1 lb. The Town Dock Calamari
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tbps. all-purpose flour
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Pepper
- Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend so that mixture is nearly smooth, but still has pieces of calamari.
- Heat pan with 1 tablespoon oil.
- Form patties from calamari mixture.
- Drop patties into pan and cook 1-2 minutes per side until patties become firm.
- Serve calamari patties on your favorite roll with your favorite toppings.