Crispy Calamari & Light Aioli

📝 Ingredients

• 400 g frozen calamari rings
• 30 g plain flour
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 egg
• 50 g panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp olive oil (1 for the calamari, ½ for the aioli, ½ for the salad)
• 120 g basmati rice
• 1 lemon (the zest and the juice of one half for the rice, the juice of the other half for the aioli)
• 15 g fresh parsley
• 100 g Greek yoghurt 2%
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 romaine lettuce heart (about 150 g)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Air fryer (or oven)
• Saucepan
• Colander
• 3 shallow bowls
• Bowl
• Pastry brush

📖 Steps

1. The day before, leave the calamari rings to thaw in the fridge in a colander set over a bowl. Otherwise, seal them in a freezer bag and submerge them in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes.
2. Rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs almost clear, then cook it in a pan of boiling salted water for 10 to 11 minutes, until tender. Drain, then stir in the lemon zest, the juice of one half and the chopped parsley.
3. Make the aioli: finely grate the garlic clove into a bowl, add the Greek yoghurt, the juice of the other half of the lemon, ½ tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper, then mix well. Chill so the garlic can infuse.
4. Drain the calamari and dry them very thoroughly between several sheets of kitchen paper, pressing down: this is the key point, as wet calamari make the coating puff up and come away. Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C for 3 minutes.
5. Set out three shallow bowls: the flour mixed with the paprika, a pinch of salt and some pepper; the egg beaten with a fork; the panko. Dip each ring in the flour, tapping off the excess, then in the egg, then in the panko, pressing to coat it well.
6. Arrange the rings in a single layer in the basket, without overlapping (in two batches if needed), and brush them with 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook for 8 minutes at 200 °C, shaking the basket halfway through, until golden brown.
7. Without an air fryer, spread the oiled rings on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 12 minutes in an oven preheated to 230 °C, turning them halfway through. Don't overcook them: overcooked calamari turns rubbery.
8. Wash the romaine heart, cut it into strips and dress it with the rest of the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Serve the calamari as soon as they're cooked with the lemon rice, the salad and the aioli on the side for dipping the rings.