[Recipe] Oven-baked calamari

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 pound calamari, tubes and tentacles
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup white tortilla chip pieces (2 inch pieces)
1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 200oC. Coat two large baking sheets with cooking spray.

Pat calamari dry with a paper towel. Cut tubes crosswise into 1/2-inch thick rings (do not cut tentacles). Set aside.

Combine panko and tortilla chips in a food processor and process until finely ground. Transfer mixture to a bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of the flour and black pepper. Place remaining 1/2 cup of flour in a large freezer bag.

Add calamari rings and tentacles to the bag with the flour and shake to coat. Working in batches, dip the flour-coated calamari into buttermilk mixture and then into panko mixture. Arrange calamari, in a single layer, on prepared baking sheets. Spray the surface with cooking spray.

Bake 15-20 minutes, until calamari is tender and coating is crisp and golden brown.

Serves 4

Serve with lemon wedges and warm tomato sauce/salsa on the side for dunking.