Air Fryer Calamari

This easy air fryer calamari recipe is made with just a few simple ingredients. The calamari is breaded using a seasoned semolina flour, all purpose flour and stone ground yellow cornmeal mixture. The result is a crispy, fried calamari without all the extra oil from deep frying. I love serving them with marinara sauce or homemade lemon garlic aioli. Try having an appetizer party for your next occasion and pair this air fryer calamari with Air Fryer Garlic Shrimp, Air Fryer Garlic Bread and even this Air Fryer Pork Belly.

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An Explanation Of The Ingredients Used

• Calamari Rings & Tentacles – Buy frozen or fresh for this recipe. Make sure to thoroughly clean and slice into rings.
• Milk – Marinate the calamari at least 30 minutes before breading.
• Lemon Juice – Mix with the milk to make homemade buttermilk.
• All Purpose Flour – Season the flour before breading the calamari with it.
• Semolina Flour – Use semolina flour to give the calamari a nice, crunchy texture.
• Stone Ground Yellow Cornmeal – Mix with the all purpose and semolina flour to give the calamari a perfect texture.
• Old Bay Seasoning – Season the flour mixture with old bay seasoning and other spices.
• Granulated Garlic – Add tons of flavor to the calamari by using granulated garlic to season the flour mixture.
• Salt & Pepper – Always add salt and pepper to taste.

First, prepare a marinade for the squid by making homemade buttermilk with milk and lemon juice.

Shake off the excess buttermilk from each ring and tentacle. Place them inside the flour mixture in small batches.

How To Make Air Fryer Calamari

1. First, start by thoroughly cleaning the calamari and slicing the hood into rings. Or purchase squid that’s already been cleaned like this one. Make sure the rings are equal in size to ensure they cook at the same speed. If you’ll also be cooking the tentacles, make sure to cut them into smaller pieces so they cook evenly.
2. Next, place the calamari in a bowl and add the milk and lemon juice to make homemade buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate the squid in the marinade for at least 30 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the all purpose flour, semolina flour, stone ground yellow cornmeal, salt, pepper, granulated garlic and old bay seasoning. Whisk the ingredients together to combine.
4. Remove the calamari from the refrigerator.
5. Shake off the excess buttermilk from the squid rings and tentacles before transferring the pieces to the flour mixture. It’s important to work in small batches to ensure each piece of calamari is completely covered in the breading. Transfer the breaded pieces to a separate plate.
6. Discard the leftover marinade.
7. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes.
8. Once preheating is complete, lightly spray the inside of the air fryer with non stick cooking spray. This one works really well.
9. Gently place the calamari inside the air fryer in one layer. Make sure you don’t overcrowd so that each piece cooks evenly.
10. Air fry at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until they’re nice and crispy. Open the air fryer half way through to flip them over for even cooking.
11. Finally, remove them from the air fryer, top with fresh parsley and serve with your choice of sauce on the side.

Where Can I Buy Squid?

Most grocery stores carry squid either fresh or frozen in the seafood section. I purchased mine frozen and allowed it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Whole Foods carries calamari rings and tentacles but you can also purchase it here.

How To Slice Calamari

Slicing the calamari into rings is not very difficult. Make sure to either clean it first or purchase calamari that has already been cleaned like this one. I prefer to purchase it clean so it’s ready for me to slice into. When you’re cutting the rings, it’s important to ensure they are each the same size. Otherwise, they won’t cook evenly or at the same speed. Slice the rings vertically towards the squid’s back. If you’re cooking the tentacles, make sure they are also roughly about the same size.

Storing Suggestions

Store leftover calamari inside an air tight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days for best results. You can also freeze cooked calamari if you’d like but I don’t recommend it because once it thaws, it will not have the same, crispy texture from when it was first cooked.

Tips & Variations

• Purchase squid that’s already been cleaned, like this one, to make things a little bit easier.
• Make your own homemade lemon garlic aioli for serving. Mix together 3/4 cup of mayonnaise with 1 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 clove of finely minced garlic, 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of ground black pepper.
• Cooking times may vary depending on how thick you slice the rings.
• Always read your air fryer manual before using it.