I'm surprised how a lot of American restaurants have this as an appetizer
and of course, I will always order it if I see it on the menu.

I would like to get creative and try to make some.

Firstly, where do I buy the squid to make it?
And what other ingredients do I need?
Batter of some sort.
How about for flavor?

A lot of grocery stores should sell whole squid. Whole foods is the only large chain that I know for sure has it.
Any seafood market obviously but some may need the beak/skin removed

I like to keep my Calamari simple with just flour, salt , pepper, and a small amount of Cayenne. There are many variations that you can try for yourself
You will need a vegetable oil to fry them in. Or an oil with a fairly high flash point

The process for prepping the squid can vary depending on how much is already done for you

I'll track and try to answer questions

Going on what he said, its no surprise a lot of American restaurants try to capitalize on this easy dish in which most businesses can profit off of.

Usually going to markets, I'd go to your closest sea food market where they catch live fish, most likely they'll have fresh squid available.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0BtBULmhJ4&feature=related This video is great for anyone trying to clean squid as effectively, and quickly as possible.

I usually use a batter of flour, salt, pepper, cayenne, diced garlic, and oregano. Mix it all together in a bowl, cook for about 2 minutes in peanut or vegetable oil. Then garnish with a lemon wedge, and some parsley on top.

As for deep frying calamaries i use half and half of flour and fine corn meal, with spices if you want... gently coat them, then throw in hot oil at 350oF for 50 to 60 seconds, take out, salt/pepper and eat right away..
As for dipping sauce i like to mix mayo with a good quality yellow curry powder, sri racha and healty amount of lemon juice..

This post was edited by hofx2 on May 27 2012 10:20pm

for the breading, i'd suggest dusting with rice flour for a very light breading. and also, instead of salt in the breading, you could marinade your squid beforehand so that the salt isnt too overpowering as you
bite into it.

i dont really think u need live squid from the freshest seafood market. its not really that kind of dish. u could probably find them premade and ready to fry if u wana avoid the prep. or if not, one suggestion would be to get baby squid, which u can fry whole and have no cutting prep involved.

to be honest.. i think its a very boring dish thats dominated by a usually boring marinara. fried oysters served with katsu sauce is so much tastier imo.

Once you cook the breaded squid I'd recommend tossing it with a mixture of assorted thinly sliced peppers (pepperocini, jalapeño, etc) and some garlic butter!

It's boring until you try the real stuff from thailand... super fresh... texture is so much better (way more tender) from the frozen stuff that you find in america (that is from thailand anyway)..
They just stir fry it really quick with pretty much anything (rice, noodles, omelettes, etc...) .. Clearly one of my favorite meal..

haha! yes yes! lots of americans haven't really woken up to international flavors and the typical fried calamari u find in america is very boring. heavily breaded.. ew! i hate to sound racist/ageist but this is one of those dishes older white americans order. like crab cakes, bacon wrapped scallops, where salt and pepper are the only spices LOL. but what u describe sounds totally amazing. is there a thai name for the dish ur talking about so i can order it at my fave thai place?! thai food is huge in LA and i'd love to try what ur talking about

@op. as hofx2 mentions, squid has a very unforgiving texture when cooked too long. experiment and taste for urself before u serve it to others. amateur to amateur intimacy :3

Not a particular dish, they use it a lot in different dishes (fried rice, stir fryed with vegetables, squid omelettes, hot pots...)
You won't find anything like that in america, well maybe the preparation will be the same, but as for the freshness, you won't find it here..
And yeah when overcooked they become very hard, but the fresh stuff in thailand is 2 times softer then a properly cooked squid around here due to terrible freshness..

don't bother it will turn out shit and you'll end up spending more than you'll pay for in a pub