1 pound cleaned calamari ~ cut into rings
¼ cup cornmeal
2 eggs ~ beaten
2 cloves garlic ~ mashed
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
Sea salt to tast
Vegetable or Canola oil for frying
Lemon wedges, for garnish

For Horseradish Pesto Sauce:
½ cup prepared pesto
¼ cup prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon sugar

For Spicy Marinara Sauce:
1 cup good quality marinara sauce
Zest and juice of one lemon
3 tablespoons hot sauce

Coat the calamari rings in the cornmeal ~ shake off the excess



Dip the coated rings in a mixture of the eggs with the mashed garlic



Dip them into the bread crumbs and coat well. Refrigerate the coated rings for an hour before frying



Heat the oil to 375 degrees. Fry the calamari in batches for about a minute or until golden. They should rise to the top of the oil and be golden brown. Remove them from the oven and drain them well on paper towels before transferring them to a serving platter. Serve them with lemon wedges, hot sauce, the Horseradish Pesto and Spicy Marinara sauces.

For Horseradish Pesto Sauce:

In a small bowl whisk together all ingredients. Yield: 3/4 cup

For Spicy Marinara Sauce:

In a small bowl whisk together all ingredients. Yield: 1 cup