Hi there Wednesday!
I had this appetizer in Mexico with my Mom and it inspired this dish. I wanted it to fit in the the 4HourBODY diet, so I modified it a bit. I used almond flour instead of the traditional breadcrumbs or cornmeal. I did fry them, but you could also bake them in the oven if you wanted to go lighter. There’s a bit of honey in the sauce but it tastes just as good if you ommit that if you’re being extra disciplined, which by the way, Suhhhweeeeet!
This Slow-Carb Almond Crusted Mexican Calamari With Red Chilli Sauce, is both delicious and good for you. Packed with protein from the squid and almonds, and rich in licopene from the tomato sauce, you will actually feel good about eating this calamari dish instead of how you usually feel after eating the typical restaurant version. Yeay! Win-win!
Usually, I like to cook something that I can eat 500 times throughout the week or freeze for later to make it a 5min. meal since I’m a single Mom, but, this is not that kind of dish. Do even think about freezing it for later or even eating it as leftovers. Almond Crusted Mexican Calamari is not like spaghetti sauce that taste better the next day. It will have the consistency of a dogs chew toy. Yuk!
My Mom is in her second week of following this 4HourBody Slow-carb diet plan, so I was thinking about this re-invention for her. She really liked the one we had in Mexico, so why not create a little treat she can make for herself now. Her you go Mom! Love you!
Using almond flour is okay in the 4HourBody diet plan. Tim Ferriss recommends taking it easy on the almonds but that they are okay in moderation.
Avocado oil or macadamia nut oil are perfect options for this. They have a higher smoke point and virtually no taste. These are my favorite oils to use for cooking along with coconut oil depending on the dish. I usually reserve the EVOO for salad dressing or another things that don’t require me to heat it too much.
I can’t handle too much heat so I only use 1 chipotle pepper in my sauce for the smokey flavor. Go nuts if you like it HOT!
How beautiful is that deep, rich red? Mmmmmmmmm
- 2-3 squid
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 2 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- Red Chilli Sauce
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 medium red onion, finely diced
- 1 jalapeno, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, processed until smooth
- One 28-ounce can plum tomatoes and their juice, processed until smooth
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
- Combine almond flour, garlic salt, pepper, paprika & cayenne pepper into a bowl & mix
- Rinse & dry the squid
- Slice the squid into rings
- Coat dried squid rings in the dry mix
- Pan-fry in oil for approx 7-8 min on each side, or until brown
- Set aside on a paper towel covered plate
- For the sauce: Heat the oil in a 12-inch high-sided saute pan over high heat. Cook the onions and jalapenos until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, and then stir in the chili powder and coriander and cook 1 minute. Pour in 1 cup water and cook until reduced. Mix in the chipotles and tomatoes and bring a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Season with salt, followed by the cilantro, and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
