Name: Cheesecake Factory Fried Calamari (Standard)
Prep time: 18 min
Cook time: 27 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 pound Calamari-tubes and tentacles-cleaned; 1/2 cup Buttermilk; 1 tbsp Lemon juice-freshly squeezed; 1 tsp Garlic powder; 1/2 tsp Black pepper; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1 cup All-purpose flour; 1/2 cup Cornstarch; 1 tsp Paprika; 1/2 tsp Garlic powder; 1/2 tsp Black pepper; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1/2 cup Mayonnaise; 2 tbsp Ketchup; 1 tbsp Lemon juice-freshly squeezed; 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 1/4 tsp Garlic powder; Vegetable oil -for frying

Recipe tier

A classic, crispy fried calamari appetizer, similar to the Cheesecake Factory's, made accessible for home cooking.

Total 45 min

Serves 4

Steps 8

Ingredients 18

Soundtrack the cook

Fire it up · 60 minutes

Music paced for prep, cooking, plating, and the reset after dinner.

Prep 18m Cook 27m Plate 5m Reset 10m

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Calamari
1 pound 450 g Calamari-tubes and tentacles-cleaned
Marinade
cup 120 mL Buttermilk
1 tbsp 15 mL Lemon juice-freshly squeezed
1 tsp 5 mL Garlic powder
tsp 2.5 mL Black pepper
tsp 2.5 mL Salt
Breading
1 cup 120 g All-purpose flour
cup 60 g Cornstarch
1 tsp 5 mL Paprika
tsp 2.5 mL Garlic powder
tsp 2.5 mL Black pepper
tsp 2.5 mL Salt
Dipping Sauce
cup 120 mL Mayonnaise
2 tbsp 30 mL Ketchup
1 tbsp 15 mL Lemon juice-freshly squeezed
tsp 2.5 mL Worcestershire sauce
tsp 1.25 mL Garlic powder
Frying
Vegetable oil As needed -for frying

Equipment

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Instructions

🎙️ Cook with voice coach

In a bowl, combine all Marinade ingredients and marinate the Calamari for at least 30 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk together all Breading ingredients.
Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or large pot to 350°F (175°C).
Dredge the marinated Calamari in the Breading mixture, ensuring it's fully coated.
Fry the Calamari in batches for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
Remove the fried Calamari and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
While Calamari is frying, prepare the Dipping Sauce by combining all Dipping Sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Serve the fried Calamari immediately with the Dipping Sauce.