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Battered And Fried Squid

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil for deep frying
• 1 cup all-purpose flour for the batter, plus 1 1/2 cups for dredging
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup sparkling water, beer, or cold tap water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds cleaned squid, tubes cut into 1/3-inch rings, tentacles cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 lemon, quartered, for serving

Directions

1. Put at least 2 inches of oil in a pot over medium heat.
2. While the oil heats, combine 1 cup of the flour, the egg, the sparkling water, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a bowl.
3. Whisk together; the batter should be fairly thin.
4. Put the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour in a bowl and stir in a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
5. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
6. The oil is ready at 350 F.
7. Adjust the heat as necessary.
8. If the oil starts to smoke, remove it from the heat immediately to cool a bit.
9. A few pieces at a time, dredge the squid in the flour, shake off any excess, then dip it in the batter, shaking off any excess batter as well.
10. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, drop the squid into the oil.
11. Cook, turning the pieces as necessary, until they are crisp and pale golden, a minute or two.
12. As the squid finishes cooking, transfer the pieces to the paper towels to drain and sprinkle with salt.
13. Repeat the dredging, battering, and frying process until all the squid is cooked.
14. Serve right away with lemon wedges.

Attribution