The Secret Ingredient For The Best Calamari Salad Is Simply Time

Often associated with Christmas Eve's Feast of the Seven Fishes but tasty at any time of the year, calamari salad is a zesty dish featuring an assortment of herbs, vegetables, and, you guessed it, squid. While the dish can be served warm, most calamari salad is chilled prior to serving, which enlivens the brightness added by lemon juice and white wine (although ingredients can vary depending on the recipe). In addition to keeping with tradition, refrigerating your calamari salad offers another key benefit when it comes to the flavor of the dish.

To ensure that all the elements fuse together nicely, it's best to prepare the salad well before you plan on serving it. In fact, calamari salad will reach peak deliciousness after about a day in the refrigerator, although you can get away with chilling the dish for at least 12 hours if you're pressed for time. That makes this dish just as convenient as it is tasty, which is why it's so perfect for busy holidays and other food-focused gatherings.

If you're making your first foray into calamari salad, frozen squid is a convenient option to consider. Most grocery stores have frozen calamari stocked in the seafood section, and you'll likely have a few choices at your disposal. For instance, some frozen calamari are already chopped into smaller pieces for your convenience. In this case, you simply need to thaw and cook the pieces before incorporating them into your salad.

If you're determined to purchase fresh squid, you may need to visit a local fish market or grocery store that carries fresh seafood. It's possible to buy a whole animal, but keep in mind that proper cleaning of the squid is somewhat involved. You'll need to remove the inedible portions, excise the tentacles, take out the cuttle bone, and remove the skin, after which the squid should get a thorough rinse. If this seems like a lot to handle, no worries, as you can request the fresh whole squid to be cleaned for you when you purchase it.

Whether you buy fresh calamari or are using frozen squid, proper storage is key to a flavorful end result. Fresh and thawed squid must be kept cold, which you can do by surrounding it with ice and placing it in your refrigerator. In this case, you'll need to use the squid in your calamari no later than 48 hours after refrigerating it. This will help you avoid a potentially unpleasant bout of food poisoning, as well as ensure optimum flavor. You can also freeze fresh calamari for about two months, provided that you do so right after you bring it home.

Frozen pre-cooked calamari salad will also last approximately two months without experiencing a decrease in flavor or food safety. As for refrigerator storage, you have a maximum of three days before the calamari salad should be enjoyed. A sturdy container with a well-fitting lid is your best bet for keeping the salad protected from bad odors and air exposure, which can accelerate spoilage. Now that you have a better understanding of how to make a flavorful calamari salad, you can add this delicious dish to your seafood repertoire.