Tender, simmered Stuffed Calamari in a simple marinara sauce is a flavorful, briny bite for an appetizer or dinner. These are a classic Italian recipe perfect for Friday nights or Christmas Eve!
Want more seafood options? Try Linguine with Clams or Italian Stuffed Baked Clams!
A Quick Look at The Recipe
- ✅Recipe Name: Stuffed Calamari
- ⏲️Ready in: 1 hour
- 👪Makes: 6 servings
- 📋Main ingredients: Squid, crushed tomatoes, and breadcrumb stuffing.
- ⭐Why You'll Love This Recipe: This can be a perfect Christmas Eve appetizer or side dish, plus the flavor of the breadcrumb mixture combined with the briny calamari is the perfect pair.
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Why This Recipe
Stuffed calamari is the perfect seafood recipe to add to the Christmas Eve menu or to just serve on a Friday night during Lent. You also don't need a reason to make this tender and briny Italian seafood classic!
I love to do a seafood night where I serve recipes like this and Fried Flounder Oreganata. This is an easy and super affordable seafood to make when we want that flavor of the sea but don't want to pay $26.99/lb for a red snapper.
This is also the only Italian seafood you can make with Parmesan cheese. Some people still may make a fuss about combining the two, but this is one recipe that can be stuffed with Parmesan, and it is worth it!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Calamari. Always buy frozen calamari. The freezing and thawing process helps with tenderizing the muscle. You want to get tubes and tentacles so you can chop up the tentacles for the stuffing.
- Parmesan. Typically, Parmesan or cheese in general doesn't go with Italian seafood dishes, but this is the one exception. The cheese is perfect for the stuffing. Typically, I'll top seafood dishes or pasta, like Linguine with Red Clam Sauce or Garlic Anchovy Pasta, with toasted breadcrumbs instead of Parmesan or Pecorino.
- Breadcrumbs. Use regular Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, not panko. I find that the panko, when introduced to liquid, gets really mushy and is not great for recipes like this.
- Olive Oil. A nice extra virgin olive oil, high-quality is always suggested for seafood because they absorb so much of the flavor.
- Crushed Tomatoes. I use hand-crushed whole plum tomatoes to make a Homemade Marinara Sauce. Simmering a homemade sauce with the seafood will give you the best seafood flavor.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.
How to Make Stuffed Calamari
Follow the steps below that correspond with the numbered images.
Step 1: Roughly chop the tentacles and place them in a small bowl with lemon juice. In a medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, parmesan, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and garlic. Add the chopped tentacles and olive oil.
Step 2: Combine until the mixture reaches the consistency of damp sand. You may need to add more olive oil.
Step 3: Use a small spoon to stuff the tubes with the breadcrumb mixture. Stuff them about ⅔ full.
Step 4: Use a toothpick to close off the tubes.
Step 5: Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil. Stir in the garlic until fragrant and slightly browned, about 90 seconds.
Step 6: Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan and bring to a low simmer. Place the stuffed calamari in the sauce and simmer. Stir occasionally, covering the calamari in sauce.
Step 7: Continue to simmer for 35-45 minutes, or until calamari are tender. Serve immediately.
Italian Stuffed Calamari is perfect to serve on Christmas Eve for the Feast of Seven Fishes, along with Steamed Mussels in White Wine and Homemade Shrimp Cocktail. The sauce is great to serve over angel hair pasta.
Pro-Tips
- The bigger the calamari, the better. I used little squids here, but the bigger you can find, the better. They stuff a lot easier and can be served as a meal.
- Always buy frozen calamari. Freezing and thawing the calamari will tenderize the muscles.
- Calamari can be cooked quickly or tenderized over a long period of time. In this recipe, we simmer the calamari for ¾ of an hour.
- Reheat stuffed calamari in a small saucepan until heated through.
- Have leftover breadcrumb mixture? Form them into patties and fry them in olive oil.
Recipe FAQs
No, they're not necessary, but they do add a briny flavor to the breadcrumb mixture.
Just continue to cook them longer. If you can cook them for 35-45 minutes, they should tenderize.
Breadcrumb mixture is the typical stuffing for seafood dishes. I think it's really the only way to do it.
More Italian Seafood Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Stuffed Calamari
Equipment
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 Small bowl
Ingredients
- 1 lb calamari
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup parmesan
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup parsley, fresh chopped
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup olive oil
Marinara Sauce
- 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Roughly chop the tentacles and place in a small bowl with lemon juice
- In a medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, parmesan, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and garlic. Add the chopped tentacles and olive oil. Combine until the mixture reaches the consistency of damp sand. You may need to add more olive oil.
- Use a small spoon to stuff the tubes with the breadcrumb mixture. Stuff them about ⅔ full and then use a toothpick to close off the tubes.
- Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil. Stir in the garlic until fragrant and slightly browned, about 90 seconds.
- Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan and bring to a low simmer. Place the stuffed calamari in the sauce and continue to simmer for 35-45 minutes, or until calamari are tender.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- The bigger the calamari, the better. I used little squids here, but the bigger you can find, the better. They stuff a lot easier and can be served as a meal.
- Always buy frozen calamari. Freezing and thawing the calamari will tenderize the muscles.
- Calamari can be cooked quickly or tenderized over a long period of time. In this recipe, we simmer the calamari for ¾ of an hour.
- Reheat stuffed calamari in a small saucepan until heated through.
- Have leftover breadcrumb mixture? Form them into patties and fry them in olive oil.
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