Sous Vide Calamari Salad

Everyone knows that calamari is easy to overcook and becomes chewy in no time. By cooking it sous vide, you can make calamari perfect - every single time. This recipe calls for you to deep fry the rings in a crumb after cooking sous vide. Make sure the oil is very hot - it should only take a few seconds to turn golden brown. To finish, add the rings to your salad and enjoy crispy yet super tender deep-fried calamari.

Author

Christina Wylie

Christina Wylie is an award-winning writer, author, editor, food stylist, recipe creator, entrepreneur and radio host whose work has been featured in The Times & The Sunday Times, Time Out (Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong and Dubai), Traveler’s Digest, Fah Thai Magazine, Broadsheet, Wining & Dining and many other internationally renowned publications. In 2013, after almost a decade of working as an international journalist, Christina founded the online lifestyle magazine The GAB Magazine, for which she now leads a team of 60 writers based all across Australia. She then founded Samui Life Magazine in 2016. After working as a recipe creator for Anova Culinary for over a year, she signed a cookbook contract with the American-based, international publishing company Quarto. Her cookbook, titled The Sous Vide Kitchen: Techniques, Ideas, and More Than 100 Recipes to Cook at Home, was published worldwide in 2017. She wrote, styled, and photographed everything that you see within that book. In 2017 she opened her first restaurant, Bootlegger, in Koh Samui, Thailand. She is currently in the initial stages of launching Bootlegger 2 in Phuket in 2018, and is looking to open Bootlegger 3 in Bangkok in 2019. She is currently working towards stepping into the world of food and travel presenting. As an entrepreneur herself, Christina co-founded the charity initiative Project Gen Z in 2015 to teach orphaned Cambodian children entrepreneurial skills. A British expat born and raised in Hong Kong, Christina has worked across the globe, and has lived in Thailand, London, Hong Kong, Australia and South Africa over the years.

Prep Time: 00:30

Recipe Time: 02:00

Temperature : 136.4F / 58C

Ingredients

8 ounces squid bodies, cleaned and sliced into thin rings
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, plus 1 tablespoon oil from jar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
2 cups fine breadcrumbs
Canola oil, for frying
2 cups mixed baby lettuces
4 teaspoons pine nuts, toasted
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 136ºF (58ºC).
Place the squid in a large zipper lock or vacuum seal bag bag with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique or a vacuum sealer on the moist setting. Place the bag in the water bath and set the timer for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, prepare the dressing: Whisk together sun-dried tomato oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, and remaining tablespoon olive oil in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
About 5 minutes before the squid are finished, prepare the ingredients for breading. Pour flour into a shallow bowl. Beat eggs in a second shallow bowl. Pour breadcrumbs in a third shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Finishing Steps

When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Remove the squid from the bag and pat dry. Discard any cooking liquid.
Heat the canola oil to 375ºF in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Dip the squid into the flour and toss to coat. Remove from the flour and transfer to the eggs. Toss to coat and transfer to the breadcrumbs. Toss to coat.
In batches, transfer squid to the hot oil. Fry, stirring gently, until golden brown, about 1 minute. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Return oil to 375ºF and repeat with remaining squid.
In a medium bowl, combine lettuce and sun-dried tomatoes. Toss with dressing. Place calamari on top of dressed greens and top with pine nuts. Serve with lemon wedges.