Sauteed Calamari

I love a good basket of fried calamari with peppers and marinara dipping sauce but I also love stewed or sautéed calamari too! It pairs so well with crushed tomatoes and garlic and basil!! 

It is VERY easy to overcook the calamari. If overcooked, the texture will be very rubbery and ruin the dish. I know cooking seafood is scary and you want to make sure it's completely done but calamari cooks very fast. If you're a newb, test out cooking a single ring in the sauce for one minute and see what you think before cooking all the others.

What you need:

• Frozen raw calamari (I buy from Whole Foods)
• 1 tbsp of good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1 15 oz jar of crushed tomatoes or whole peeled tomatoes
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (I use chardonnay)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• a handful of sliced fresh basil leaves

What to do:

1. Rinse and slice the calamari tubes into rings, place back in the fridge, covered in a bowl until needed.
2. Add a deeper skillet or small pot to the stove and turn the heat to low-medium.
3. Cook the garlic in the olive oil until fragrant and then add whole contents of the jarred tomatoes. (If using whole peeled tomatoes, break them up a little with forks or your hands.)
4. Bring the sauce to a low bubble, add the wine and simmer for 10 minutes. (This deepens the flavor and lets the alcohol boil out.)
5. Next, season with salt and pepper and taste test. Once it's to your liking, it's ready for the calamari.
6. The sauce should be bubbling. Add the rinsed raw calamari and stir to cook. It only takes a minute or two for the calamari to cook - any longer and it will turn rubbery so be careful! I always take it off heat the second I start to see the rings becoming firm and taking on a shape.
7. Transfer to a bowl and top with fresh basil and serve hot!