Cretan Village-Style Calamari with Fresh Greens & Herbs
This beautiful Cretan dish is a delicacy and traditionally made with cuttlefish 'soupies', fresh seasonal greens and aromatic herbs that grow wild in the village. I found super fresh whole calamari at the market which will fit perfectly in this dish.
1 Hour Preparation
Serves 5 People
Difficulty 7/10
Ingredients
2 x small/medium whole fresh calamari
1 x small bunch of silverbeet 5-6 whole leaves
1 x small handful of young garlic leaves
1 x small handful wild fennel herb 'maratho'
1 x big handful of Mediterranean hartwort 'kafkalithra'
1 x juice of Juice of large lemon
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Salt/black pepper to taste
Method
Preparing Greens & Herbs
→ Start by washing and cutting your greens and setting aside in a bowl allowing to dry.
→ Silverbeet: Cut your silverbeet into 10cm pieces peeling away string of stem
→ Wild fennel herb 'maratho': Pick tender leaves and stems and discard any lower woody stems, rough chop
→ Mediterranean hartwort 'kafkalithra': pick tender shoots and leaves, rough chop. Put aside any flowers for garnish the dish later.
→ Garlic leaves: Rough cut.
Calamari Preparation
→ Start by removing the tentacles, ensure you cut all the way up to the very top just under the eyes. Then cut into 10cm pieces.
→ Then put calamari on its back flat side down and carefully cut straight down tube. Starting from the opening wide side to the pointy top, to expose the inside of calamari. Be careful not to dig your knife too deep to cut the ink sack inside.
→ Once open hold calamari down with knife or hand and pull off head to remove with guts. Cut off and discard guts/head.
→ Attached to the head you will see the calamari ‘nose’ which is holding the ink sack which looks like a chicken ‘wish bone’ carefully pull off the ink sack, keep for other recipes. Cut the calamari nose in half leave aside, its sweet, tender and tasty!
→ With remaining tube pull out the spine and any remaining membranes. Flip onto the inner side down and pull off the wings. Remove connecting tendons from each wing which are along the wide-side by gliding knife along the tendon line from inner side of wing. Cut remaining wing meat into 3-4 even pieces.
→ Next cut the remaining tube in half and cut into strips horizontally to match the size of the cuts of the wings. Place all cuts of calamari into a bowl.
Cooking
→ Heat up a wide frying pan or shallow casserole pot on medium heat. After 30 seconds add in extra virgin olive oil.
→ After 1 minute of adding in olive oil, put your calamari and sauté for 5 minutes until they start to get slightly golden.
→ Gradually add in the greens in 2-3 batches and cook down until well wilted for about 5 minutes, stirring in through the calamari. Season with some salt and pepper. Put down heat to low flame and then cover your pot. Allow to stew for about 10 minutes.
→ Check seasoning and add in your lemon juice. Cooking is done.
→ To serve mix well and spoon onto plate, ensuring you evenly distribute those juices!
→ Finish by garnishing with the hartwort flowers and enjoy! Kali Orexi!