Chile Fried Calamari
At first glance these eye-catching chile peppers look like red jalapeno. However, they have a different flavor and are less meaty than Jalapeno. Red Fresnos are great roasted and added to salsas. Try grilling them alongside your steaks or in kabobs.
When roasting these they should char, blister, and become soft. Try substituting these in your favorite chile recipes.
Ingredients:
1/2 pound calamari
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
4 red Fresno chiles, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 tsp. Sambal ulek
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. tamarind liquid or lemon juice
Instructions:
For the Calamari:
Clean the squid, removing the purplish outer skin and cutting the sacs into rings.
To prepare:
Pound the onion, garlic, chiles, and salt together using a mortar and pestle. Grind into a coarse paste. To prepare in a blender or food processor, grind together with some oil.
In a wok or skillet, heat the oil over low heat and add the chile paste. (If oil was used in grinding paste, add the paste to a dry pan.) Cook the paste slowly until it becomes quite fragrant and the oil is well stained with red. Add the paprika if it is necessary to enhance the color.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the squid pieces and the tamarind liquid, and cook just until the squid is done (about 2 minutes). Serve the dish hot or at room temperature.
In its most authentic form, this sambal is bright red with chile and quite hot. If you prefer it a little milder, use fewer chiles and make up the color difference with paprika.
Yields 4 appetizer servings.