THE TAPAS FIX

“I miss going out for a tapa and a beer,” said Ben, early in the lockdown. “Tapas sort of sanction having a few beers," he added, popping open another one. 

Are you too needing a tapas fix? Missing the evening stop at a tapa bar for a caña (draft beer) and a tapa of fried calamares or chunky tortilla or ensaladilla rusa (a type of potato salad), with the laughter and chatter, the noisy throngs at the bar jostling to get another beer and a plate of croquetas?

To ease the withdrawal pangs, I propose cooking some popular tapa foods to enjoy at home. This one, bocata de calamares, fried squid sandwiched in a roll, will fix the need to have a few beers—but not the yearning for the action, the buzz, of the tapeo.

Famous in Madrid--rings of fried squid in a crusty roll, cold tap beer. I'm serving the sandwiches with three versions of alioli garlic sauce.

Bocata de calamares is emblematic of Madrid’s Plaza Mayor, a place usually packed with folks out on a tapas crawl, now eerily empty. With a few variations, it’s also popular in Zaragoza and in the Basque Country.

The classic bocata is no more complicated than rings of fried squid stuffed in a split crusty roll or baguette. It’s become customary to serve with alioli (garlic mayonnaise) or, in Zaragoza, a spicy brava sauce. From there the variations begin—different breads (rolls tinted black with squid ink); different additions such as fried onion rings or lemon confit; different sauces. I decided to make three variations on alioli, garlic mayo.

The basic squid sandwich.

Use a crusty bollo, sandwich roll, or a baguette cut  into sections. Slice to open lengthwise, but don't slice all the way through.

Spread the bread with alioli sauce or spoon it right onto the squid.

This version of alioli has smoked pimentón and chopped piquillo peppers.

Fried rings of squid, ready for stuffing in bread rolls.

These two fresh squid were cleaned for me at the market. Cleaned, together they weighed about 1 pound. They made enough for three sandwiches, but we ate some of the fried squid straight out of the frying pan!

A couple of fresh squid, each a little less than a pound before cleaning, cost me about $12. They were worth the price! If possible, use fresh squid, not frozen, for this recipe. Avoid pota, a related variety that tends to be tougher than calamares.

Squid contains a lot of moisture and, even when coated in flour, tends to spit and splatter when put into the hot oil. Most recipes recommend drying the rings of squid on paper towels before dredging them in flour. However, I watched a video clip of three-star Chef Dani García frying squid. He scooped the pieces directly from a bowl of water into the flour and right into the oil. His looked way better than mine, that had been carefully dried before flouring. His didn't splatter, but neither did mine. (I'm wondering if the splattering hot oil happens when using thawed frozen squid, rather than fresh??)

Soaking the cut-up squid in milk is an optional step. Some cooks say it tenderizes the squid, others claim it reduces the splattering.

It's important to shake off excess flour before frying.

Be sure to shake off excess flour in a sieve before placing the squid in the oil. Take care not to lean over the pan, as squid can splatter.

Fried Squid Sandwich with Alioli Sauce
Bocata de Calamares

Serves 2-3.

2 medium squid (about 1 pound cleaned)
Milk (optional)
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup chickpea flour
Salt
Olive oil for frying
Crusty sandwich rolls or baguette
Alioli sauce to serve (recipe follows)
Lemon wedges to serve

Use a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to cut the squid into 1/2-inch wide rings.

Cut the body sac of the squid crosswise into ½-inch-wide rings. Cut the tentacles in two or three pieces. (Save the fin flaps for another use, such as fish stew.)  Wash the pieces of squid and place them in a bowl. Cover with milk and refrigerate, covered, while making the sauce (or overnight).

Combine the flour, chickpea flour and ½ teaspoon salt in a shallow pan. Place oil in a deep skillet to a depth of 1 ½ inches. 

Drain squid. Rinse it in water and drain again. Pat the squid dry with paper towels. 

Heat oil until shimmering, but not smoking (360ºF).

Mix two kinds of flour for dredging the squid rings.

Dredge the pieces of squid in the flour. Place them in a sieve and shake off excess flour. Carefully place squid into the hot oil. Don’t crowd the pan. Fry until lightly golden, turning once, if necessary. Skim out and drain on absorbent paper. Continue frying pieces of squid.

Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Cut the baguette, if using, in half or thirds. Slice them (or the sandwich rolls) open without cutting through. If desired, spread some of the sauce on the bread. Tuck as much of the squid as possible into the rolls. Serve remaining sauce and lemon on the side.

Alioli Garlic Sauce with Variations
Alioli con Variaciones

An immersion blender works best for making the sauce.

Extra virgin olive oil, egg, garlic and lemon juice.

1 whole egg
1 clove garlic, chopped
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Put the egg, garlic and oil into the blender container. Blend at high speed, without moving the wand up and down, until the sauce thickens and emulsifies. Then raise and lower the wand until all the oil is incorporated. Add the salt and lemon juice and blend again. 

Store the alioli, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 days.

Three flavor variations to alioli:

Add chopped black garlic, parsley and grated lemon zest to the alioli.

Fermented black garlic.

Add chopped piquillo peppers and smoked pimentón picante (hot paprika) to the alioli.

Add chopped scallions, cilantro and jalapeño peppers to the alioli.

Three variations on the basic alioli--top, cilantro and jalapeño; right, chopped piquillo peppers and smoked pimentón, and left, chopped black garlic and lemon zest.

How to clean fresh squid.

How to fry fish in olive oil.

More sauces to serve with squid sandwich:

Spicy Brava Sauce.

Green Chile Sauce (Mojo Verde)

Salmorejo Sauce.

More tapas ideas:

The Tapas Way of Life.

Tapas in Sevilla.

Tapas Party at Home.

Lockdown update. Easing of restrictions is coming—in Phase 1 terrazas (outdoor cafés) can open, with adequate spacing of people. By Phase 2 restaurants and bars can serve customers up to a third of capacity. When? Parts of Spain begin opening this coming Monday. But, Málaga (the province where I live), Granada, Madrid and Barcelona are still in Phase 0. No tapeo in the near future.