Deep-fried calamari rings don’t have to be reserved for an occasional treat-yo’-self seafood platter. Fisheries scientist (and seafood guru at Lalunga Seafoods) JD Filmalter shows us how to clean, prep and cook chokka, at home, like a pro.

In this step-by-step cooking tutorial, JD takes us through how to clean and cook calamari. Watch the full video below.

With generations’ worth of commercial fisherman genes in JD Filmalter’s family, cleaning and filleting calamari, aka squid or chokka, is something you learn by the time you’re seven years old.

How to clean a squid

• The goal is to keep the tube intact. First you take the wings off by pinching a thumb between the wing and the tube. Once punctured and loosened, slip all the skin off the mantle (muscular tube) – it’s meant to just peel off.
• Find the backbone-like, plasticky gladius or “pen” inside the tube, and slide a finger all the way down the backside – on the inside, between the mantle and the backbone.
• Grab a hold of all the innards and tentacles in one hand, and the tube in the other, and give multiple strong twists – this will separate everything from the mantle. If anything remains in the tube, you have to invert it by pressing the tip inwards with one finger.
• Leftover ink and guts are easily cleaned with a rub and a rinse.
• The only reason for keeping the tube intact is to be able to cut rings. Laying the tube lengthways, cut roughly pinkie finger-thick rings. Keep refrigerated until cooking.
• With the leftover head and tentacles, cut just in front of the eyes, keeping the beak inside the tentacles. Then you just pop the beak out, throw that away and you’re ready for business.

Squid pro quo

The squid we know as chokka, Cape Hope squid (Loligo raynaudii), is a slender-bodied coastal cephalopod found from southern Angola to South Africa’s south coast. Artificial lights attract them to boats while specialised squid lures are used to hook them. In JD’s case, a short trip to Cape Point means he’s never too far from his next cook-up. 

Cook and chow

• Layer some cake flour into a big sealable container – preferably more rather than less. Wait until right before you’re ready to cook to coat the calamari in flour – if done too soon the crust can become soggy. Throw a handful of rings around in the closed container, shaking until the rings are coated evenly.
• The tentacles need to be coated more aggressively and for longer, to ensure any captive water is soaked up because water and oil do not mix well.
• Heat cooking oil in a pot or wok – enough to submerge the rings. Balance the heat of your oil by how much calamari is going in. It’s good to test with one ring first; If the ring sinks straight away then it’s not hot enough, and if it erupts immediately then it’s too hot. You want the ring to gently fizzle on the oil’s surface.
• Spoon your calamari rings into the oil in batches and leave to fizzle until golden brown; for usually around 1 to 2 minutes. Eat straight away, with a simple mayo-gherkin tartar dipping sauce.

Salt Rock Chenin Blanc 2023

Fresh fried calamari screams out for a South African white wine, and Salt Rock’s 2023 Chenin Blanc is our pick. The grapes come from Stellenbosch from old bush vines situated in classic chenin granite soils with good clay compounds. The result is an excellent chenin with a stone fruit profile and great mid-palate tension. In the words of an ancient Leon Schuster prank, “Smaak my ’n engel het op my tong gepiepie.” saltrockwines.com

Lalunga Cape Wild Fish

Like fish, but like it being sourced by people who understand sustainable fisheries even more? Then keep an eye out for JD’s family-owned wild fishery supplier, Lalunga Cape Wild Fish. With a sea-to-table approach, Lalunga’s phenomenal cold-smoked tuna and yellowtail give you excellent ethically sourced produce that tastes bloody good. lalunga.com

JD’s crunchy squid munchies came straight from The Mission issue 48 below. It’s free!

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