Baby Calamari Stuffed with Shrimp and Pancetta

^I

get these baby squid, imported from Vietnam, in 2-1/2 pound frozen blocks at the Asian market. They are very tender, so I've found a lot of pleasant ways to use them. These tasty little bites make a great appetizer, or they can be served with a plate of Pasta all'Aglio e Olio, a salad and a crusty bread for  a casual supper (the kind we have most nights around here, it seems!).

Baby Calamari Stuffed with Shrimp and Pancetta

Makes about 24 bite-sized pieces.

1-1/2 lb baby calamari, cleaned
2 thin slices pancetta, chopped
3 oz shrimp, peeled, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled, chopped fine
2 slices fennel bulb, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1 tsp dried oregano
3 T fresh parsley, minced
8 grape tomatoes, sliced thin
2 eggs
1/3 C panko flakes
2 T Parmeggiano Reggiano, shredded
fish sauce, hot sauce to taste

Remove the tentacles from the calamari and reserve for another purpose.  Slice through the calamari tubes on one side. Dredge the tubes in flour, shake off excess flour and set aside.

Sauté the pancetta in a scant teaspoon of olive oil until just starting to crisp at the edges. Remove to a bowl. Put the onion in the pan and sauté for about five minutes, adding oil if necessary. Then add the carrot and chopped fennel and cook another four or five minutes until the vegetables are cooked but still have a little crunch left in them. Remove to the bowl. Add the shrimp, garlic, crushed fennel seeds, oregano, parsley, egg and panko flakes to the bowl and mix with a fork. Correct seasoning with fish sauce and hot sauce and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350º. 

Add a little oil to the pan, and heat until the oil is hot but not smoking. Brown the calamari tubes quickly on both sides and remove to a plate. Add the wine and tomatoes to the pan, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about five minutes.

Meanwhile, fill the calamari bodies with the stuffing and place them on an oiled fireproof plate.

Drizzle the wine/tomato sauce over the stuffed calamari and bake for about 15 minutes. Turn on the broiler, top each stuffed calamari with a few shreds of the cheese, and broil about 3-4" from the heat for two or three minutes, with the oven door open, until the cheese melts and starts to bubble.

Serve immediately.

Notes.

1. You can do this with the larger calamari bodies (3-4") that are more easily found in the stores. If you do this, don't slice the body tubes open. Just push the filling into the bodies, close with a toothpick if you like (I find that it's really not necessary) and increase the baking time by about five minutes. With the larger ones, I omit the cheese and the run under the broiler and just serve them drizzled with the juices from the roasting pan and garnished with a scattering of minced parsley.

2. The sauce in the picture is just a squirt of hoisin sauce, which looks okay in the picture but which I found to be not quite a perfect match, tastewise. If you want a sauce, a light tomato purée might be better, or a reduction of Red Shrimp Broth.

Comments

[beau]

Stephen - welcome back! Beautiful photo/amazing recipe. I'm going to meditate on a wine match for this creation.

No chicken soup recipe, eh? :)

[Magictofu]

Nice to have you back. About the sauce, at first I thought it was a baslsamic vinegar reduction and when I read the ingredients I thought: "what a nice combination". The tomatoe or shrimp base sauce you propose are probably excellent choices too but after viewing those picture I think a nice black sauce would just create that great visual appeal.

[Kevin]

Stephen,

Some how or another, I've got to visit you.

[fiordizucca]

yeah! welcome back Stephen. and what a lovely dish. being in bed sometimes its inspirational :)
really like the thick cream and composition. once again, bravo from me.

[Ivonne]

Stephen,

This is my first time reading your blog. I take it you haven't been feeling well lately. Glad to see you're better.

You're blog is tremendous! And that recipe for calamari is now safely tucked away in my little folder of recipes to try soon!

[Ruth]

Obviously you're feeling better - and we (your loyal fans) are happy as can be.

Thanks for sharing another stunning dish.

[Magictofu]

Hi Stephen, I could not resist... I made my own version.

http://slurpandburp.blogspot.com/2006/01/stuffed-baby-squids.html#links