2023 Vuelta España - Stage 20: Manzanares El Real to Guadarrama.
Bocadillo de Calamari is a classic Spanish sandwich. Traditionally it is served with some aioli and a squeeze of lemon. Initially, when reading about the straigh-forward approach, it sounded like it might be a little dry, so I made a slight alteration, combining two Spanish classics: tomato bread and the traditional preparation. This sandwich is amazing. Simple and satisfyingly tasty.
Bocadillo de Calamari
Calamari
1 lb sliced squid body
Whole milk
¼ cup flour
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp black pepper
Table and flaky sea salt
Oil for frying
Aioli
2 garlic cloves, diced
Egg yolk
½ tsp lemon juice
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Sandwich
2 Portuguese or Spanish rolls
Olive oil
Garlic clove
Ripe tomato
Rinse the sliced squid, then place in a bowl and cover with milk. Place in the fridge for an hour, then drain and pat dry with paper towels.
Combine flour, paprika, pepper and some salt in a large ziploc bag and add the squid. Close the bag and shake to cover. Place the squid on a rack-lined baking sheet, shaking the excess flour off of the squid as you pull them out of the bag.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and heat the frying oil to 360.
While everything heats up, slice open and drizzle the rolls with some olive oil and place in the oven to crisp up. When toasted, remove from the oven and rub a cut garlic clove on the cut surfaces of the bread. Slice a ripe tomato horizontally and rub the tomato all over the bottom half of the bread. Season with maldon and pepper.
Meanwhile, prepare the aioli by combining the first 3 ingredients in a mini prep. Run the motor to pulverize, then add the oil while the motor is running. Keep processing until thickened. I like to add a little dijon mustard, but that’s up to you.
When the oil is ready, drop in several calamari and fry until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a rack to drain, seasoning with flaky sea salt and repeat with the remaining squid.
Once all has been fried, place some calamari on the tomato side of the bread and spoon on a little aioli. Top with more calamari, a hit of lemon juice, and more aioli.
Close the sandwich and serve.
______________________________ Copyright 2023, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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