Sweet and Tangy Crispy Watercress Salad
This Crispy Calamari and Watercress Salad is hands down my favorite preparation for squid. I learned to make this while working at Perilla, a Harold Dieterle restaurant in NYC that, sadly, closed in late 2015. It was my first time working in a professional kitchen, and while it was immensely challenging, I never tired of making (or eating!) this fried calamari.
Why I Love This Recipe
Imagine this: perfectly golden, deep fried calamari that’s impossibly crispy, but not too heavy, tossed with a chili-lime sauce, fried watercress (it gets the same light batter as the squid ringlets and bodies), lots of fresh mint, thinly sliced Thai chiles, and crunchy peanuts.
To say it is delicious would be a gross understatement. I worked at Perilla in 2011 and still, to this day, I crave this calamari recipe. It’s easy, crunchy, and absolutely packed with flavor. A must make!
For more easy snack recipes, try our Fried Goat Cheese Balls, Crispy Pan Fried Shrimp Toasts, or Italian Rice Balls next!
Ingredient Notes
- Calamari: You can often buy calamari rings already sliced from the store. If you don’t see them, ask the fish monger — many times they’ll clean and prep all seafood for you!
- Other calamari salad ingredients: shallot, chives, mint, Kosher salt, roasted peanuts, Thai chilis, and lime wedges.
- The batter is made from rice flour and soda water and is so light!
- The chili-lime sauce is made from fresh lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, Thai chilis, garlic, and granulated sugar. Use tamari and check ingredients on the fish sauce to make the sauce gluten-free.
Frozen calamari: While you can use frozen calamari, make sure to thaw it completely and pat it dry before coating and frying.
If you have leftover watercress, try my potato, leek, and watercress soup next!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Fun fact: one of the first jobs I ever had working in restaurants was to clean squid. I could probably do it with my eyes closed at this point!
- Make the chili-lime sauce. Combine chili sauce ingredients in a blender, then process until smooth. Strain, then set aside.
- Heat the oil. Add enough neutral oil to come up about 3-inches in a large saucepan or pot. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 375F.
- Make the batter. Whisk together rice flour and soda water until very smooth.
- Fry the calamari. Add calamari and watercress (breaking it apart with your hands into smaller pieces, as needed) to the batter, then thoroughly coat. Shake off any excess batter, then carefully place in the hot oil. Cook in batches, about 3 minutes at a time, until the calamari and watercress are a light golden brown. Use a spider to transfer to a paper towel lined wire rack or baking sheet, then sprinkle liberally with Kosher salt.
- Serve and enjoy! Place fried calamari and watercress in a large mixing bowl. Add shallots, chives, chopped mint, then drizzle with as much of the chili-lime dressing as you like. Toss well, then serve with lime wedges , Thai chilis, mint, and crushed peanuts.
Ari’s Best Tips!
- Fry in a neutral oil, not olive oil. You want to use an oil with a low smoke point, such as grapeseed oil, avocado oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil.
- Make sure the oil is hot enough before you add the coated calamari. Otherwise, you’ll end up with greasy fried calamari.
- Don’t overcrowd the pot when frying the squid rings. This will lower the temperature of the oil and prevent the calamari from becoming crispy.
- Fry the squid rings in batches so that they cook evenly. To prevent overcooking, fry quickly at a high temperature.
- If you’re not sure if the squid rings are cooked through, cut one open and check the center. The center should be white and opaque, not translucent.
Cleaning Squid
While most major grocery stores and fish markets will sell cleaned squid (already cut into ringlets), you may find it sold whole. To clean squid, first cut off the head and tentacles. Then, remove the ink sac and any other entrails. Rinse the squid inside and out under cold water. Finally, peel off the outer membrane.
Make-Ahead, Leftovers, & Storage
While you can make this ahead of time and reheat it, there’s no doubt that fresh calamari is unquestionably better than reheated. The same is true for pretty much anything that is fried.
- To make-ahead: Drain the calamari on a paper-towel lined plate or wire rack, cool completely, then store in a refrigerator in an airtight container (on top of paper towels). Reheat in a preheated oven or an air-fryer until warm and crispy again, but not too long. You don’t want the calamari to overcook.
- To freeze: Again, we recommend enjoying this recipe fresh. Fried calamari can be frozen for up to 2 months. Store in a freezer-safe, airtight container, then reheat directly from frozen in an oven preheated to 375F for 12-15 minutes. The fried watercress, however, doesn’t freeze and thaw well.
Serving Suggestions
Creamy Garlic Aioli In A BlenderCrispy calamari is typically served as an appetizer or snack. It is often served with a dipping sauce, such as marinara sauce, tartar sauce, or aioli, but given the Asian flavors in this recipe, I recommend a chili-lime sauce.
While a traditional crispy calamari recipe might be part of an Italian meal alongside pasta, rice or risotto, this particular recipe would be better suited next to other Asian-inspired dishes, such as this pan-seared sesame ribeye or my juicy shrimp burgers.
Substitutions and Variations
- If you don’t have rice flour, you can use all-purpose flour — we just like the lighter, delicate batter that results from rice flour. Plus, it’s naturally gluten-free! Alternatively, you can coat the squid rings in cornstarch mixed with soda water, which will yield crispier results than flour.
- Instead of mint, you can serve with cilantro, basil, or shiso.
- Don’t want to make the chili-lime sauce? Squeeze the calamari with fresh lime wedges and serve without sauce.
This is truly my all-time favorite calamari and, to be honest, I have a hard time sharing. I hope you love it as much as I do!
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20-Minute Crispy Calamari and Watercress Salad
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
For the chili-lime sauce
- ½ cup lime juice, about 4 limes
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1-2 Thai chilis (aka: birds eye chilis)
- 1 Clove garlic
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
For the calamari
- Neutral oil, such as grapeseed, avocado, or canola oil
- ½ cup rice flour
- 1 cup soda water
- 2 oz watercress
- 8 oz baby calamari, cleaned, rings and bodies
- 1 medium shallot, minced, about 1-2 Tbsp
- 1 Tbsp Tbsp chives, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp Tbsp mint, finely chopped, plus more for serving
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 2 Tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly chopped, for serving
- 1-2 Thai chilis, thinly sliced, for serving
- Lime wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the chili-lime sauce. Place ½ cup lime juice, ¼ cup soy sauce, 2 Tbsp fish sauce, 1-2 Thai chilis, 1 clove garlic, and 1 Tbsp sugar in a blender (use 1 chili for less spice and 2 chiles if you like it really hot), then process until very smooth. Strain through a sieve, then set aside until ready to serve.
- Heat the oil. Add enough neutral oil to come up about 3-inches in a large saucepan or pot. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 375F.
- Make the tempura batter. Whisk together ½ cup rice flour and 1 cup soda water until very smooth.
- Dredge, then fry. Add the calamari and watercress (breaking it apart with your hands into smaller pieces, as needed), then thoroughly coat. Carefully shake off any excess batter, then transfer the calamari and the watercress to the hot oil. Cook in batches, about 3 minutes at a time, until the calamari and watercress are a light golden brown. Use a spider to transfer to a paper towel lined wire rack or baking sheet, then sprinkle liberally with Kosher salt.
- Dress the salad, then serve. Place fried calamari and watercress in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 Tbsp minced shallots, 1 Tbsp chives, 2 Tbsp chopped mint, then drizzle with as much of the chili-lime dressing as you like. Toss well, then serve with thinly sliced lime wedges (optional), Thai chilis, mint, and crushed peanuts.
Notes
- While you can make this ahead of time and reheat it, there’s no doubt that fresh calamari is unquestionably better than reheated.
- To make-ahead: Drain the calamari on a paper-towel lined plate or wire rack, cool completely, then store in a refrigerator in an airtight container (on top of paper towels). Reheat in a preheated oven or an air-fryer until warm and crispy again, but not too long. You don’t want the calamari to overcook.
- To freeze: Again, we recommend enjoying this recipe fresh. Fried calamari can be frozen for up to 2 months. Store in a freezer-safe, airtight container, then reheat directly from frozen in an oven preheated to 375F for 12-15 minutes. The fried watercress, however, doesn’t freeze and thaw well.
Nutrition
Photography by: Jo Harding.
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