Classic Greek Salad with Grilled Calamari - week 30 of 52

Classic Greek Salad with Calamari

Summer = grilling. The month of August will be dedicated to recipes on the grill! This recipe was on Food Network with some great reviews from other foodies – good job Bobby Flay! I love seafood and in particular, am a big fan of calamari, but have never prepared it. It was not easy to find fresh calamari and I had to go to a couple of seafood stores in order to find it. Make sure it’s fresh and doesn’t smell “too fishy” – too fishy is generally an indication that it’s not too fresh.

The recipe is super easy, but a little garlicky for my taste. Definitely take Bobby’s advice and cook no longer than 2 min on each side on a med-high grill otherwise you’ll end up with super chewy calamari. As well, while waiting for the calamari to cook, throw the salad in a fridge to chill. No one likes room temperature salad (and by no one, I mean me!).

This is a fresh recipe, perfect for the summer. You will get about 4 meal-sized salads.

Bon appétit!

Classic Greek Salad with Calamari – courtesy of Bobby Flay
$$
Rating (out of 5) ****

Ingredients
• 20 wooden skewers
• 10 small whole calamari, cleaned, tentacles removed
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grilling
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tomatoes, seeded and cut into chunks
• 1 medium red onion, sliced thin
• 1 medium cucumber, sliced thin
• 1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
• 1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
• Lemon wedges, for garnish
• Fresh oregano leaves, for garnish

Directions

Soak 20 wooden skewers in water for about 20 minutes. Rinse the calamari tubes and pat dry. Split the bodies from top to bottom so you have 2 triangular pieces. Thread a soaked skewer through the length of each piece. Put the skewers on a platter and set aside. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic, dried and fresh oregano, thyme and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Pour 1/2 of the vinaigrette over the calamari; set the other 1/2 aside while you make the salad.

In a large bowl, add the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, cheese, olives, and romaine. Pour the remaining vinaigrette over the salad and toss to combine. Let marinate while you grill the calamari.

Heat the grill or a grill pan and oil it lightly. Grill the calamari for 2 minutes on each side, no longer or they will be tough. To serve, put the salad onto a large platter and top it with the calamari skewers. Garnish with fresh oregano leaves and lemon wedges.