Stuffed calamari recipe

You've come to the right place for a stuffed calamari recipe.

Calamari is also known as squid. The two words are exchangeable but calamari is often used in restaurants because it sounds better than squid.

Stuffed calamari recipe can be tricky to execute if you're trying it on your own. This page will guide you through every step to ensure your attempt will go smoothly. I think what makes it a little challenging is the fact that you have to know how to sew the calamari once you've stuffed it. No worries! There is a video to show you how to do this.

Have fun with this stuffed calamari recipe. We're using ground pork in this example but remember that you can get creative and use other types of meat for stuffing.

Enjoy!

By Hai Nguyen

Ingredients (4 servings):

Method:

Preparation stage 1 h before starting the stuffed calamari recipe: (1) soak the dried black mushrooms in a small bowl of water; (2) leave the ground pork in a large bowl and the calamari on a plate at room temperature to unthaw.

Part 1 (10 min)
Soak the frozen calamari in warm water and put them on a plate (1). Gather 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper (2). Dice the onions (3). Dump the water from the bowl with the black mushrooms and cut the black mushrooms with a pair of scissors (4). Add the black mushrooms, salt, sugar, pepper and diced onions to the bowl of ground pork (5) and then mix (6).

Part 2 (30 min)
Wash your hands and dry them on a clean paper towel (do not dry your hands on a used cloth). Thread a needle (if you don't know how to do this, click here for a guide with pictures). Have a pair of scissors handy. With one hand, squeeze the calamari gently so there is a hole at the top (1). Simply use your other hand to stuff the pork mix into the calamari (2). Sew the opening so the stuffing stays inside when you will be cooking it later (3 to 7). You can also view the video right below if you're not sure how to sew it. Take the scissors and snip off the thread (8). Repeat this with all of the calamari's. Take a toothpick and poke holes in the stuffed calamari on both sides (tip: this is to let the steam escape when you will cook them so it's best to poke as many holes as possible) (9).

Part 3 (30 min)
Pour about 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan (1) and turn the heat up to medium (2). Dice 1 clove of garlic (3) and throw it in the frying pan (4). With a pair of tongs, place the stuffed calamari in the frying pan (5). Let them cook for about 5 min on one side (6) and then turn them over (7). You may choose to poke more holes in the calamari at this point if the meat stuffing is starting to come out. Caution, hot juices from inside may spill out when you poke more holes, so stay far away and make sure you wear an apron. In a small bowl, mix 3 teaspoons of soy sauce and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Add this mixture to the calamari in the frying pan (8). Add 1/2 cup of water to the frying pan, cover and let it simmer over medium heat (9) for 15 min. Every 5 min, use the tongs and turn the calamari over so both sides are cooked evenly.

Part 4 (20 min)
Add the green onions and let them cook for 2 min (optional). Use the tongs and place transfer the cooked stuffed calamari in a plate or bowl (1). Let them cool down for 15 min (2). With washed hands, take out the thread once they've cooled (3).

You can chop them up in slices and serve. We usually eat this with rice and soy sauce.

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