Pistachio crusted calamari oven cooked – easy recipe

Here it is a nice and easy squid or calamari recipe, one of those you can do when you are short of time or when you simply just want something tasty and quick which is not a ready meal... and who wants ready meals anyway??!
All you do is mixing ground pistachios, parsley, parmesan, breadcrumbs and olive oil and brush the squid with it. Pop it in the oven for 10 minutes and job done! A delicious squid dish with a crunchy and tasty topping.
With squid it is all about cooking it right, do not overcook it. It usually takes about 8 to 10 minutes depending on how large the fish is. The best way is to prick it with a fork after 8 minutes or so and check if it is tender.
If you cannot find fresh squid you can use frozen one too.
I have just been featured on "La Voglia Matta" a beautiful Italian blog written by Chiara who comes from Trieste, very near to my hometown. Love her blog!
- Prep Time : 15 minutes
- Cook Time : 10 minutes
Ingredients
- fresh squid cleaned (can be frozen too) - 1 Kg - 2lb
- pistachios shelled - 100 g - 2/3 cup
- parsley - a small bunch
- Parmigiano or Grana Padano grated cheese - 3 tbsp
- breadcrumbs - 4 tbsp
- olive oil - 8 tbsp
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Brush the squid with olive oil.
In a processor grind the pistachios and the parsley then mix them with the breadcrumbs, the parmesan, 8 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper.
Line the squid on a baking tray covered with parchment paper then brush it with the pistachios mixture.
Cook it in the oven at 200C or 400F for about 10 minutes or until the squid is tender. You can check it by pricking it with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges.
It might be easy, but looks really impressive, Alida.
Thank you Angie!
Dear Alida,
Great post..who doesn’t love Calamari? We are having them for Christmas Eve…My whole family loves them even the kids…Yummy and different recipe. I have to try this one… Thank you for sharing…I have to check out the blog that you are featured on. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family dear friend…Hope that 2016 will bring you much more love and success in your life. Enjoy! Ciao!
Dottie hugs xx 🙂
All the best to you too dear Dottie and enjoy your calamari at Christmas! Sounds like a fab menu you are having xx
I love calamari but I’ve never cooked it! Is it really that easy???!
Have a fantastic Christmas Alida. Enjoy your family, food and festivities!
Yep! Very easy. Get your fishmonger to clean it for you as it can be fiddly if you have never done it before.
Che piatto delizioso, adoro i calamari e questa tua versione con i pistacchi mi ispira molto, bravissima! Buon Natale a te e famiglia, un abbraccio!
Grazie cara e buone feste!
Hi Alida,
It’s been sooooooo long since I have had Calamari! It was one of the dishes my Father always included in the Feast of Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve, Oh how I miss those dinners…Pistachios sound quite intriguing. Perhaps one day I will try it. In the mean time, I sure wish I could jump through the screen and taste yours, lol…
Congrats on the feature Alida…Wishing You and Yours a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy every moment and every bite:)
Nice to hear from you Louise hope you are having a good holiday! Ciao!
I use this topping very frequently for fish and I’m going to try it on squid with it next time – yummy! I’ve had la Voglia Matta on my list of favourites for a number of years now, how lovely to read the article about you! Buone feste Alida!! 🙂 x
Yes I was really pleased to be featured, I love La Voglia Matta, very interesting articles and recipes there. Hope you are enjoying your Christmas holidays.
mmmm che delizia con i pistacchi!!!!! Ancora auguri cara Alida!!!!
Grazie 1000 tantissimi auguri anche a te!
I came across your blog through another food blog, and I have to say I love this unique calamari dish. I’m a huge fan of squid, but it’s hard to come up with unique ways to prepare it. I’ve never heard of a pistachio crust for squid. So unique and sounds delicious!
Thanks very much. Pistachios add a nice crunchy bite to calamari and this is the way I cook it very often.