Grandpa Joe's
Calamari Salad

If you like calamari, you will love this one.

About this recipe

As I write this I live north of Kalamazoo, Michigan.  Kalamazoo, considering its size of about 70,000 inhabitants (although Kalamazoo and the surrounding metropolitan area consists of about 325,000 folks), is a culturally diverse community.  Understandably, Kalamazoo has many eating establishments, but it also has a surprisingly large number of extraordinary restaurants.  One of the best is Zazio's.  My wife and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary there (several years ago) at the restaurant's Chef's Table.  I was invited to help prepare this salad.  It was an experience I will never forget!

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces calamari
  • 1 pound fingerling potatoes
  • ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, chopped
  • red pepper flakes
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil

Directions

  1. Clean, but do not peel, the fingerling potatoes.  Place them in a pot and cover with cold water.  Add a teaspoon of salt and bring the water to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 10 minutes.  The potatoes should be cooked, but still firm.  A sharp knife blade should be able to pierce the potato easily.  Drain the potatoes and then cover with cold water for about 2 minutes.  When the potatoes reach room temperature, drain the potatoes completely, and set aside.
  2. Sauté the onions and red pepper until they are soft, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Slice the potatoes into ½-inch pieces and place them in a mixing bowl.  Add the sautéed onions and red peppers.  Combine with a generous coating of extra virgin olive oil.
  4. Season the calamari with salt and grill over high heat for 2 minutes on each side.  Remove the calamari to a cutting board and slice into bite-size pieces (about the size of the potatoes).
  5. Add the calamari to the potatoes, onion, and peppers; then sprinkle with red pepper flakes and chopped parsley.
  6. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper, if necessary.

Notes

  • To finish individual servings, drizzle each portion generously with more extra virgin olive oil.
  • Ingredient quantities are provided here only as approximations.  More or less of any particular ingredient will not affect the final result. 
  • Including additional fresh ingredients is recommended highly.
  • Small red potatoes can be substituted for fingerling potatoes.
Posted: February 2014.