Fried calamari is squid that is deep fried in oil for a short duration of time to reach that perfect golden-brown texture, which any calamari fan can instantly recognize. Fry too little, and the squid might not be cooked enough; fry for too long, and it can end up being chewy. But, how about your leftovers? I’m going to share my tips of how to reheat fried calamari leftovers.
The trick is to find that sweet spot and cook your calamari justlong enough until it is nice and edible on the inside, while fresh and crispy on the outside.
Like most other seafood, fried calamari is best eaten when it’s freshly cooked and not left out to cool. However, on the off chance that you have some fried calamari leftovers, the most suitable method to reheat fried calamari and have it taste like it did when you first cooked it is to bake it.
While it may seem like the easy (and lazy) way out to simply microwave it, that’s probably one of the worst ways to reheat fried calamari. Just like any other fried food, the end result will be the exact opposite of fresh and crispy – your reheated fried calamari will taste stale and soggy.
Let’s look at how you can reheat fried calamari in the oven to have it reach that straight-out-of-the-fryer-fresh-and-crispy feel.
How to Reheat Fried Calamari Leftovers in the Oven
The first way to reheat in the oven is to:
- Preheat your oven at 375° Fahrenheit
- Start by laying out your calamari leftovers evenly on a baking pan, in one layer
- Place the fried calamari inside the oven, and bake for around 7 minutes
You want to make sure you reheat fried calamari on both sides which is why the next step is to:
- Pull the pan out of the oven and turn over the fried calamari
- Place the pan back into the oven
- Cook for another 6-7 minutes
- Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the reheated fried calamari to ensure it’s cooked
The most suitable temperature for the meat is around 165° Fahrenheit.
Once you’ve successfully reheated fried calamari by baking it in the oven, make sure you serve it within 2 hours of reheating, since seafood is best served right after cooking.
If you leave it out to cool down in room temperature without refrigeration, the results are less than optimal.
Alternative Way to Reheat In Oven
Another way to reheat fried calamari in the oven is to:
- Preheat the oven at 350 degrees
- Lay the fried calamari on a baking sheet
- Reheat for another 10-15 minutes, until it is evenly reheated
- Check to ensure it is reheated
In contrast to the first method, this one reheats fried calamari for a longer time but at a slightly lower temperature.
Whether you use the first or second method depends on which style your chef-gut gears you toward. Both methods successfully reheat fried calamari to have it taste as close to its originally cooked self as possible.
The best way to eat fried calamari, still, is to gobble it down right after it’s freshly cooked and not have leftovers remaining. Otherwise you can try your luck using one of these two methods to reheat fried calamari and hope it turns out as crispy and golden-brown as you’d like your calamari to be!