Vegan Fried Calamari

Fried calamari used to be my all time favorite appetizer. Before we picked a restaurant where my family and I would go to, I first made sure they offered fried calamari as an appetizer in the menu. I was obsessed with them. So when I started experimenting with plant-based food, finding how to make vegan fried calamari that tastes as close to the real one as possible was a must. Now I know there’s a ‘hearts of palm’ version of vegan calamari that floods the internet. I’ve tried them and my verdict was: they’re ok. A pale imitation, but I wasn’t fully satisfied. As I’ve said in my vegan seared scallops recipe, king oysters or king trumpet mushrooms mimic the texture of squids to PERFECTION. I also use them in my vegan brisket. These are by far the best vegan fried calamari you’d have ever had. Click back guaranteed 😉

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King Trumpet Mushrooms and Oysters Mushrooms

King trumpet and regular oysters mushrooms are key to this recipe. The oysters mushrooms already mimic the squids’ tentacles. Now the trick to getting the king trumpet mushrooms to have that hoop earring-like shape, is to use a good cheap apple corer (like this one). The apple corer will help remove the core of the king trumpet mushroom and give that perfect hoop shape. Do not discard the core of the mushrooms as you can use them on other recipes. I sometimes slice them and add them as filling for my vegan omelette.

Slice off the caps of the king oyster mushrooms and set them aside. Place the apple corer at the center of the mushroom and insert carefully to remove the core of each of the mushrooms.

Then slice the coreless mushrooms to get ring shaped pieces. Slice the mushroom caps to get random slices.

Wash and drain the regular oyster mushrooms and add them to the ring shaped pieces.

The Crispy Factor

In a mixing bowl, add the milk, flour, garlic powder, old bay seasoning, salt and pepper. Use a whisk to mix everything together until smooth. You can also use a hand mixer to make it easier.

In a separate mixing bowl, add the flour, garlic powder, old bay seasoning, salt and pepper. Use a whisk to mix everything together until smooth

Dip a batch of the mushrooms pieces to the milk-flour mixture and let the mushrooms soak for about 5 minutes. Then using a skimmer, scoop out the mushrooms from the milk-flour mixture (making sure to shake out any excess liquid) and add them to the flour-old bay mixture to seal the breading.

Add the vegetable oil in a deep pot or a deep fryer. Using a cooking thermometer, let the temperature reach 375 – 400 degrees F. Use the skimmer to scoop the breaded mushrooms and add them in batches to the hot oil. Let fry for 3 to 5 minutes, making sure the stir the mushrooms for time to time so they don’t stick together. Remove the mushrooms once they are golden brown and place them on a plate cover with a kitchen towel to absorb some of the excess oil.

Serve hot with some spicy mayo (I love the Just Mayo mixed with sriracha sauce) or some regular marinara sauce.