Three fried calamari Italian style
Stephanie Clifford-Smith in Food Become a member to view this article
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Fast or slow but nothing in between. That’s the most important rule for cooking these delicious little critters into tender submission. They’re smaller and less chewy than their fellow cephalopods, the squid, but esteemed writers from Richard Olney to Rick Stein don’t distinguish between them.
We love the anchovy mayo on the side for its visible chunks of the oily salty fish. It’s next level good.Because they flourish in the Mediterranean and the Adriatic the Italians really know how to bring out the best in them, techniques that work just as well on the local stuff. They’re relatively sustainable and the only good thing about climate change is a recent study suggesting they’ll flourish as the oceans warm up. So tuck in!
La Favola Stephanie Clifford-Smith
La Favola
People mostly come to this modern timber and tile place for the pasta but the calamari (AUD $19) is offered as a welcome warm-up act. Lightly coated rings and a few random tentacles are perfectly salted and need nothing more than their lemon cheek squeeze and a swipe through a barely garlicky aioli. You wouldn’t want to miss the freestyle pasta menu though where you choose from fusilli, fettuccini, paccheri etc and a range of sauces. We can vouch for the spaghetti carbonara made the way it should be, without cream – just egg yolks, guanciale and parmesan.Â
Address: 170 King Street, Newtown. Telephone: +61 2 8021 0002
Rosetta Trattoria Stephanie Clifford-Smith
Rosetta Trattoria
The suits down The Quay end of town love this place – the menu reminds them of holidays in Italy and the decor of their glitzy nightclubbing days in the 80s. There’s even a glass lift! They might take the edge off their thirst with a glass of Terre de Sant’ Alberto Prosecco from the Veneto (AUD $12) and whet the appetite with a plate of calamari fritti (AUD $32). Said cephalopod is fried to a deep gold with added crunch from deep fried parsley. The mayo is made on the robust olive oil usually reserved for salads and packs a very rich punch. The lemon balances that well and with a bit of extra salt on the seafood, they’re still living la dolce vita.
Address: 118 Harrington Street, The Rocks. Telephone: +61 2 8099 7089
La Rosa The Strand Stephanie Clifford-Smith
La Rosa The Strand
Mood lighting and proper European hospitality. This humming osteria in the elegant Strand Arcade is a magnet to lovers of all things Roman. So maybe the tapioca in the light batter coating the frittura di calamari (AUD $26.20) isn’t exactly Roman but it really works on the teeny rings and keeps the glutards happy. Getting the same treatment as the seafood are saltbush leaves (not Roman) and slender zucchini batons (Roman!). We love the anchovy mayo on the side for its visible chunks of the oily salty fish. It’s next level good.
Address: Shop 133/193 Pitt Street, Sydney. Telephone: +61 2 9223 1674