Spicy 3-Minute Calamari

By Mario Batali

Published October 19, 2013

  • Marcus Nilsson for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
About 8 minutes
Rating
4(128)
Comments
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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 4

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts

  • 2 tablespoons currants

  • ¼ cup caperberries

  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

  • 1 tablespoon hot red-pepper flakes

  • 1 cup basic tomato sauce

  • 1 ½ pounds cleaned calamari, tubes cut into ¼-inch rounds, tentacles halved

  • 8 scallions, thinly sliced (reserve some for garnish)

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat ¼ cup oil in a large sauté pan until just smoking. Sauté the pine nuts, currants, caperberries, garlic and red-pepper flakes until the pine nuts are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, and bring to a simmer. Stir in the calamari, mix well and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes, or until the calamari is just cooked and completely opaque. Toss in the scallions, and season with salt and pepper. Pour into a large, warm bowl, sprinkle with the reserved scallions, drizzle with olive oil, and serve immediately.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
128 user ratings
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Comments

Dr. Wiz

I cut back on the amount of red-pepper flakes to 1 tsp.
The currants are a great addition, but now and then I prefer to use golden raisins. The provide a different level of sweet to the savory of the other ingredients.
The caperberries are interchangeable with salted capers that have been washed.
Again, and again, the basic tomato sauce is the item that puts this recipe and many others of Mario over the top.
Thanks Mario.

BQW

Easy and fantastic. Used canned plum tomatoes mashed up for tomato sauce.

Rich

Made this dozens of times but add at least two cups of white wine which adds depth and stretches the sauce.

Katherine

my whole family loved this. couldn't find currants in my local deli, didn't have time to shop elsewhere, so just chopped my raisins finely. worked well -- a more even distribution, like currants provide.

Rich

Made this dozens of times but add at least two cups of white wine which adds depth and stretches the sauce.

katie

Delicious but pretty hot. Next time I’ll cut the pepper flakes in half.

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