Greek-Style Stuffed Calamari with Vine Leaves
In collaboration with my good friend Kathy from ‘Sweet Greek’. This is a beautiful harmony of the sea and garden. Fresh local calamari combined with simple flavours of mixed seafood, seasonal aromatic herbs and the beautiful spring vine leaves.
Ingredients
7 x small/medium whole fresh calamari
1 x small bunch of spearmint (thiosmos)
1 x small bunch wild fennel herb (maratho)
1 x small bunch Mt Athos basil
1 x small handful of young garlic leaves
1 x small handful of young leek leaves
1 x bunch spring onions
1 x large lemon zest
1 x cup of extra virgin olive oil
5 x tablespoons of medium grain rice
6 x large king prawns (raw)
300g blue swimmer crab meat (raw)
200g rockling fillet (or other firm-bodied fish)
30 x large fresh vine leaves
200g fish or chicken stock
Salt/black pepper to taste
Method
Filling Preparation
→ Start by cleaning and washing your whole calamari (or you can have your local fishmonger do so). We want the tubes whole with the tentacles separate.
→ Rough chop tentacles into 3 and place in a bowl. Into the same bowl add in the meat from the swimmer crab (normally pre prepared in packet). Peel and chop the king prawns similar size, add in the bowl and set aside.
→ Wash and dry all your aromatic herbs and greens. Fine chop the spring onions, herbs, leek and garlic tops and place in bowl with the chopped seafood. Add in your rice, olive oil, lemon zest, salt/pepper and mix well. This is now ready for stuffing.
Vine Leaf Preparation
→ To prepare the vine leaves use either fresh harvested spring vine leaves or fresh frozen/brined vine leaves from spring. Do not buy them from a jar!
→ If using fresh or frozen blanch in boiling water for 20 seconds to soften. If using brined then rinse and drain.
→ Line your baking dish bottom with vinegar leaves (use damaged or smaller leaves not suitable for rolling if you have)
Calamari Preparation
→ With a spoon fill your calamari tubes 3/4 of the way well with the seafood/herb mixture and close them up at the opening with 1-2 toothpicks sewing through to keep fairly sealed.
→ Place the filled calamari tubes on your bed of vine leaves in the dish leaving some space between. The remaining mixture is to be rolled into your vine leaves.
→ Open your vine leaves either in your hand or on a chopping board/table and put 1 big teaspoon of mixture at the base of leaf (vein towards outside of roll).
→ Fold over and roll your vine leaves and place in the gaps around the calamari in your dish.
→ To finish add in another generous drizzle of quality extra virgin olive oil and the stock. Finish by covering the dish with the remaining vine leaves.
Cooking
→ Place your dish in a preheated oven (fan setting) or wood oven at 200 degrees celsius.
→ After 15min remove the covering vine leaves from your dish so that we can start to colour and caramelise our calamari and dolmades.
→ Cook exposed for another 10-15min until there is a nice golden colour on your calamari and the dish is ready.
→ To serve place onto plate with some of the juices and a good squeeze of fresh lemon.
→ Watch how to make with this video. Kali orexi!