Air Fryer Calamari with Chunky Marinara Sauce

Enjoy the crispy golden taste of calamari and savory chunky marinara sauce right in the comfort of your own home. If you thought that you can only get crispy calamari from a restaurant on special occasions, think again!

Prep:
35
minutes
Cook:
6
minutes
TOtal:
41
minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Lb. calamari
  • 4 Eggs, whisked
  • 1 Cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1 Cup gluten frre bread crumbs
  • 1 Cup all purpose flour
  • Salt, Pepper, Garlic powder (as much or as little as you would like)
  • Lemon wedges to serve with
  • Parsley flakes, dried or fresh for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Whisk your eggs in a bowl and set aside.
  2. Combine your Italian seasoned bread crumbs and your gluten free bread crumbs in another bowl and set aside.
  3. Measure out your flour and pour into another bowl and set aside.
  4. Slice some lemon wedges and set aside.
  5. Slice your calamari into tubes and place in a bowl with the calamari tentacle. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to your liking or use your favorite seafood seasoning. Squeeze some lemon juice over and mix well.
  6. To coat your calamari, begin by dipping each piece in the flour, then drenching it in the whisked egg and then coating it in the bread crumb mixture. NOTE: important to make sure that you BOTH inside and outside are coated well and all places are covered with all three items (flour, egg and bread crumbs). It is a very exact process, but I will admit that this is time consuming since you have to coat every little piece and make sure both inside and outside gets coated. Don’t worry, this is extremely rewarding though!
  7. When all pieces are coated, preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. When done preheating, spray the bottom with a generous amount non stick spray and add your prepared calamari. Spray the tops of your calamari you another generous layer of olive oil non-stick spray. NOTE: spraying them helps get them nice and golden and crispier.
  8. Air fry at 400 for 6 minutes and flip them over at the halfway point. Repeat this process until all are cooked and air fried.
  9. When done, garnish with parsley flakes, serve with lemon wedges and marinara sauce on the side.
  10. ENJOY!