Fried Calamari with Pesto Aioli Sauce

Crispy Fried Calamari is a classic seafood appetizer. Made with tender calamari dredged in seasoned flour and fried until golden. Served with Pesto Aioli dipping sauce. 

If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at making calamari at home, I’ve got the perfect recipe for you. And you’re going to love it.

The key to perfectly crisp calamari lies in a light batter and a quick cook at the right temperature. After lots of recipe testing, I have perfected the technique and am going to share it with you today so you’ll be making restaurant quality calamari at home in no time.

And every great calamari appetizer has a great dipping sauce served along side. So of course I’ve got you covered there too! The Pesto Aioli is the perfect compliment to the crispy calamari.

Let’s talk about what you’ll need to make it.

Fried Calamari Ingredients:

This recipe is broken up into two parts: the calamari and the dipping sauce. You can chose to only make the calamari but I happen to love the pesto aioli dipping sauce with it.

For the calamari you’ll need:

• CALAMARI (SQUID) RINGS: For ease, I recommend buying frozen calamari rings. That way you don’t have to worry about cleaning or cutting the squid. Simply thaw completely before cooking.
• EGG/MILK: This will be a wash to help bind the seasoned flour mixture to the calamari rings.
• FLOUR/CORNSTARCH: Using a combination of flour and cornstarch will give you a perfect crispy coating for the calamari.
• SALT/PEPPER/GRANULATED GARLIC: To season the coating.
• OIL: For frying I recommend using a neutral oil that can withstand a higher (365 degree F) heat. Canola, vegetable or peanut is great for this. Avocado oil is also great for high heat frying, but it’s so expensive that I prefer to use it for smaller jobs. Olive oil will have too much flavor and has a lower smoke point.

For the Basil Aioli Dipping Sauce:

This is what I like to call a “cheater’s aioli” like my garlic aioli, truffle aioli and curry aioli, this uses mayonnaise as the base. That way there is no raw egg component and you won’t need to whisk nearly as much.

• MAYONNAISE: The base for the aioli.
• PREPARED PESTO: You can use your favorite store-bought pesto or make your own basil pesto.
• LEMON JUICE: Will add acidity to the sauce.
• SALT AND PEPPER

Step by Step Photos and Instructions:

Making fried calamari can seem a little daunting, I know I was intimidated for the longest time. But once you figure out that calamari doesn’t need a lot of time cooking (think 2 1/2 minutes) you’ll find that it’s not any harder than frying other things. Follow along with these step by step photos and instructions to guide you every step of the way.

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• STEP #1: Heat 2 inches of oil in a large pot over medium heat to 165 degrees F.
• STEP #2: Set up your assembly line. In one shallow dish whisk together milk and egg. In another shallow dish, combine flour, cornstarch, granulated garlic, salt and pepper.
• STEP #3: Dip the calamari rings into the egg was. Gently let the excess drip off.
• STEP #4: Dredge the calamari rings in the seasoned flour mixture.  Shake off any excess.
• STEP #5: Fry the calamari, in batches, until they start to turn golden about 2 1/2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or strainer to transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with salt.
• STEP #6: To make the Pesto Aioli Sauce whisk together all ingredients. Serve with calamari.

Storage and Leftovers:

Fried Calamari is best eaten right away. It won’t reheat well without becoming tough and rubbery. The basil aioli sauce, however, can be made in advance and refrigerated until ready to use.

Looking for more seafood recipes? Try these:

This Fried Cod Recipe is one of the most popular recipes on my blog and constantly gets rave reviews. You’ve got to try it!

If you loved this Fried Calamari appetizer, try this Calamari Steak.

Linguine with Clams is the perfect date night pasta!

Note: originally published in 2009. Updated in 2024 with an improved dipping sauce recipe, new photos, step by step photos and nutrition information.