Sweet and sour calamari

History

Sweet and Sour Calamari is a recipe of Fried Calamari that is tossed in a sweet vinegar glaze. It can be found on many menus across the country and is a spin off of traditional Italian style batter fried calamari and Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken. The Sweet and Sour version differs from the traditional Italian in the sense the sauce is tossed instead of served on the side. When made properly, the crisp breading (usually a combination of corn and wheat flours) is still intact as it is tossed with reduced sweet vinegar glaze. Also this breading style differentiates it from the Asian namesake Sweet and Sour Chicken, that is made with a fluffy Tempura or baking soda enriched batter.

This dish is popular in the Western Massachusetts area, a spin off the Calamari found down the East Coast in Rhode Island. Since the East Coast borders on the Atlantic Ocean, much seafood is consumed in these areas. Pioneering Chefs Chris Albano and introduced it to many Western Massachusetts area restaurants like , ,, Sonoma, and . As the dish grew in popularity so did the amount of restaurants in the area starting to produce the dish.

Varieties

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Chefs across the country each have their own style, even TV Chef Emeril Lagasse does his own version.
The varieties most found in Western Massachusetts are "Wok Fried" and "Flash Fried", where they are quickly cooked to avoid becoming tough and then tossed in their respective glazes.

The "Wok Fried Calamari" version made popular by Chef Chris Albano is lightly breaded and cooked in a Deep fryer, then glazed in a hot wok with sliced Banana peppers and a piquant sweet chili sauce. The "Flash Fried" Calamari version by Chef Cousin is similarly fried first then glazed with a honey and Chipotle Coulis.

Massachusetts based Seafood Chain Legal Sea Foods, boasts three preparations; Spicy, Rhode Island, or Sweet and Sour Asian with Pienapple.

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