Bocadillo de calamares
A crusty individual bread roll filled with squid rings dipped in flour and fried, just perked up with a squeeze of lemon. Nothing else: the pure Madrid style.
A crusty individual bread roll filled with squid rings dipped in flour and fried, just perked up with a squeeze of lemon. Nothing else: the pure Madrid style.
Listen, in Madrid we don't have time to sit down at noon when seminars pile up — so you grab a *bocadillo de calamares* at the corner bar and eat it standing up, like everyone else. The secret is that the squid are fried to order, golden but still tender, and you just squeeze a lemon wedge over them, never any sauce, or purists will give you the evil eye. I swear the best discussions about a manuscript I've had were with a paper napkin in hand, near the Plaza Mayor.
- •Crusty bread roll (pan de barra) — 1 per person (base)
- •Fresh squid rings — a good handful (filling)
- •Wheat flour — enough to coat (breading)
- •Olive oil — for frying (cooking)
- •Lemon — 1 wedge (acidity)
- •Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
Bocadillo de calamares
A crusty individual bread roll filled with squid rings dipped in flour and fried, just perked up with a squeeze of lemon. Nothing else: the pure Madrid style.
Why this dish? It's THE emblematic sandwich of Madrid, eaten standing up in a square or on a bench between seminars. For Ana, dashing from the university to the National Library, this crusty bread stuffed with fried squid rings is the ultimate quick lunch — the one you eat with one hand on your notes, the other on the sandwich.
Listen, in Madrid we don't have time to sit down at noon when seminars pile up — so you grab a *bocadillo de calamares* at the corner bar and eat it standing up, like everyone else. The secret is that the squid are fried to order, golden but still tender, and you just squeeze a lemon wedge over them, never any sauce, or purists will give you the evil eye. I swear the best discussions about a manuscript I've had were with a paper napkin in hand, near the Plaza Mayor.
Ingredients (period version)
- Crusty bread roll (pan de barra) — 1 per person (base)
- Fresh squid rings — a good handful (filling)
- Wheat flour — enough to coat (breading)
- Olive oil — for frying (cooking)
- Lemon — 1 wedge (acidity)
- Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Individual bread roll (baguette or ciabatta style) — 1 (approx. 15 cm) (base)
- Squid rings (fresh or thawed frozen) — 120 g (filling)
- Wheat flour — 3 tbsp (breading)
- Olive oil (or sunflower for deep-frying) — 300 ml (cooking)
- Lemon — 1/2 (acidity)
- Fine salt — 1 pinch (seasoning)
Method
- Pat the squid rings thoroughly dry with paper towels: the drier they are, the crispier they'll be.
- Dredge them in flour seasoned with a little salt, shaking off the excess.
- Heat the oil to 180°C and fry the rings for 1 to 2 minutes, just until golden. Drain on paper towels.
- Open the bread roll, tuck in the hot squid rings.
- Squeeze a dash of lemon over the top, close the roll, and eat immediately — standing up, preferably.
How it was made : The *bocadillo de calamares* became popular in 20th-century Madrid, in bars around the Plaza Mayor, as a quick and cheap working-class meal. Geographic curiosity: Madrid is far from the sea, yet its historic fish market long made it one of the largest fish markets in Europe.
The contemporary twist : A hint of lemon aioli or a dusting of *pimentón* on the squid — heresy for the old-timers, a delight for young busy researchers.
Sources : Simone Ortega, 1080 recetas de cocina, Alianza Editorial
Ana García · Charactorium
