Eat your fill: Calamari with tartare sauce 

SERVES 2

TAKES 20 minutes

FOR THE TARTARE SAUCE

2 tbsp full-fat mayonnaise

2 tbsp full-fat Greek yogurt

1 tbsp capers, drained, rinsed and chopped

2 gherkins, finely chopped

¼ tsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

zest and juice of 1 lemon, to taste

salt and black pepper

FOR THE CALAMARI 

400g squid tubes, fresh or frozen and defrosted, cut into 1.5cm rounds

1 large egg, beaten

100g ground almonds

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic granules

olive oil, for frying

salt and black pepper

TO SERVE

lemon wedges

• To make the tartare sauce, place the mayonnaise, yogurt, capers, gherkins, turmeric and parsley in a small bowl and stir to mix. Add the lemon zest, salt and pepper and as much lemon juice as you like. Keep to one side.
• Take the squid and, if defrosted from frozen, pat it as dry as you can with some kitchen towel.
• Place the beaten egg in one shallow dish, and the almonds, paprika, garlic and some seasoning in another.
• Take the squid rings and dip them into the egg, then gently toss in the almond mix to coat. Keep to one side while you heat around a centimetre of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and then, very carefully, place the calamari in the pan in a single layer. Don’t overcrowd the pan – it’s probably best to do it in a few batches unless you have a very large pan.
• Cook the squid for a minute until the coating is light gold and then turn and cook the other side. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper to soak up the excess oil. Repeat for the other squid rings and then serve the calamari alongside the tartare sauce, with a big wedge of lemon.
• These go brilliantly with some peppers and courgettes oven-roasted in a little olive oil with a pinch of dried oregano and seasoning for 20-25 minutes at 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

TIP Leftover jarred capers can be used to accompany smoked salmon with lemon and cream cheese or scattered in a salad.