madbaker | See Food Recipe

This week's Resolution Recipe: Salt & Pepper Calamari

oil for frying (I used peanut)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 cup flour
4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp pepper
2 tsp Sichuan pepper (I didn't have any and used white pepper)
1 lb cleaned squid rings (I used Trader Joe's frozen undersea medley - squid, scallops, and shrimp)

Pour two inches of oil into a large saute pan and heat to 350 degrees. Line a baking pan with paper towels. Combine egg and milk in a bowl; combine breadcrumbs, flour, salt and peppers in another bowl.

In batches, dip the squid in the egg mixture with one hand and shake off the excess; then drop in the flour mixture and shake off the excess with the other hand. (This keeps the mixtures separate and your hands cleaner. Really, it works.) Spread the breaded squid on a baking sheet and separate any clumps. Fry the squid in at least four batches until golden and crisp, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. The oil should bubble up vigorously if it's hot enough. Stir or flip pieces as they cook, and remove with a slotted spoon, drain, and serve while hot.

What worked: I don't normally make fried foods. This was awfully good, though. I was pleasantly surprised that the mixed seafood medley behaved identically; but then, they were all about the same size.

What didn't: I used all of the flour mixture but only half of the egg-milk mixture. I also let the oil get a bit too hot (it set off the smoke alarm) and then too low. If I made more fried foods, I'd have managed it better. But then again, I'd also weigh 500 pounds.

Will I make it again? Perhaps. What would really be good is adding in some powdered ginger in place of the white pepper for additional zing.

Bonus points for correctly placing the cut-tag. Unless you're