Extreme crunch wrapped around tender seafood in every bite. This is the coastal appetizer at its best, where a crisp flour blend delivers that irresistible golden finish. Hot, crunchy, and full of Peruvian spirit.
Cut the calamari into medium rings and dry it very well with paper towels. If it stays wet, the flour clumps and the oil splatters more than it should.
Mix the calamari with the ground garlic, half of the lemon juice, the soy sauce, salt, pepper, and beaten egg. Let it sit for 8 minutes, just long enough to take on flavor without starting to cook in the acid.
Turn what you find into an experience you can actually bring to your kitchen.
Combine the wheat flour with the potato starch until evenly mixed. This blend is what keeps the calamari light and crispy instead of heavy and doughy.
Coat the calamari in the dry mixture and shake off the excess in a colander. It should be covered but still clearly ring-shaped; if it looks thickly breaded, there is too much flour.
Heat the vegetable oil in a medium pot. Fry the calamari in batches for 2 to 3 minutes, until light golden and crisp; if it goes longer, it turns chewy.
Drain the crispy calamari on paper towels and finish with the remaining lemon juice right before serving. It should be hot, dry on the outside, and tender when you bite into it.
