Warm Calamari Salad – The Best-Laid Plans of Squid and Men

There was nothing wrong with this warm calamari salad, except the most important thing. I’ve had “cast-iron calamari” before in restaurants, which featured gorgeously seared, almost charred, pieces of squid. While well caramelized, the calamari was still tender and moist, which means it was only cooked for a few minutes, over what must have been dangerously high heat.

I figured as long as I got my pan hot enough, I should be fine. Wrong. Well, technically right, but wrong because I added way too much into the pan at one time. I really needed to do a single order at a time, and it probably would have been fine, but once that whole pound went in, the temp dropped, and you saw the results.

I still enjoyed a flavorful, healthy lunch, but not the one I’d dreamed about. The good news however, was that I ate the leftovers cold, tossed with the same salad ingredients, and it was actually better. So, if you are planning on doing the same recipe, as shown, I would suggest serving it chilled instead. I hope you give this, or that, a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 Warm Calamari Salads:

1 pound cleaned calamari

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon of chipotle powder

pinch of cayenne

1 packed teaspoon light brown sugar

1 sliced jalapeno, seeded

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste once cooked

For the salad base:

4 handfuls baby arugula

1 can (15-oz) cooked white beans, drained, rinsed

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

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