Easy Calamari, Bruchetta, and Panko walnut crusted tilapia recipes

Calamari with bruchetta

I love deep fried food, especially calamari. I didn’t realize that they are so easy to make that even a lazy mofo like me can succeed in making them at home too.

To make these delicious home-made calamari, just following these steps.

You’ll need 3 bowls. First bowl, season half a cup of flour with salt, pepper, garlic salt and cajun spices. Then, beat one egg into the second bowl.

Mix Panko breadcrumbs with basil (and other herbs like oregano if you like) in the third bowl.

Preheat canola oil in a deep frying pan and bring it to about medium heat, you don’t want the oil too hot or the batter will quickly burn.

Dust defrosted squid rings into the first bowl with flour, shake off excess. Dip the squid into the egg bowl and then the panko breadcrumbs. Make sure the squids are fully covered in batter.

Deep fry the calamari until they turn golden brown. Place the calamari on paper towel to absorb the oil, you can add more salt and pepper to taste at this time.

Served hot on bed of arugula and a wedge of lime or lemon.

You can enjoy calamari with all kinds of sauces or dips. I decided to go with bruchetta for a more refreshing taste.

To make a quick and easy bruchetta, all you need are:

1 whole tomatoe diced

1 clove of garlic

chopped of fresh basil

1 tbsp. olive oil

pinch of salt and pepper

In a small bowl, add all the ingredients and set aside for about half and hour or so for all the flavours to blend in together.

Panko and walnut crusted tilapia with pesto

Crusted Tilapia

Spray vegetable oil on of both sides the tilapia (you can coat it with melted butter as well). Season tilapia with salt and pepper. I actually went all out with every spice I had at home; basil, oregano, paprika, garlic salt, lemon pepper, etc. The more flavour on the fish the better. Place the tilapia on the baking sheet, top the fish with crushed walnuts and panko breadcrumbs. Preheat oven to 350 c and once it’s ready, pop those babies in for about 12-15 minutes until the crust turns golden and the fish is flaky.

Pesto

100 g pine nuts (or you can substitute walnuts cuz they’re way cheaper)

olive oil

chopped basil

a pinch of salt

1-2 clove of garlic

chopped sun-dried tomatoes

In a food processor, puree garlic, pine nuts/walnuts, salt, and basil together, drizzling olive oil so it becomes a smooth paste. I add a bit of sun-tomatoes in there just for extra kick in flavour. Once all the ingredients blend together, scoop pesto over a bed of your favorite pasta. Grate Parmesan on top for extra creaminess. Lay the baked tilapia on top with a slice of lemon.

Easy and tasty Italian garden salad

It’s the exact same recipe from Italian restaurants that serve the exact same dish for 7-10 dollars!

In a large bowl mix, organic baby arugula, fresh prosciutto, halved grape tomatoes, chopped garlic together. Drizzle with olive oil and fresh lemon juice, and toss everything together. Season with salt and pepper, and add shaved Parmesan. Voila! So crisp and so fresh, I could eat this salad everyday.