Ingredients (serves 4 to 6)

• 3-4 medium squid mantles, opened up flat

• 1 cup Panko crumbs

• 1 cup Cornflake crumbs (packet or home-rolled)

• 2 tbsps desiccated coconut

• 2 eggs

• 3 tbsps milk

• 1 cup cornflour

• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest

• Rice bran oil for frying

Method

Tenderise each opened calamari mantle (on both sides) with a steak mallet, but don’t pound them to death! Then cut longitudinally into 3cm-wide strips.

Blend the two types of crumbs, coconut and lemon zest until they are thoroughly mixed. Transfer to a container or plastic bag for tossing.

In a sizeable dish crack two eggs, add the milk and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Pour cornflour into a bag or container (with lid) for dusting.

Toss calamari strips in the flour (no more than 6-8 at a time) so each is lightly dusted. Then coat each in the egg mix and transfer to crumb container (again, no more than 6-8 at a time). Shake well to coat each strip thoroughly. After crumbing, place squid strips individually on a platter. Don’t simply pile them up, as this will make the coating ‘gluggy’.

Deep or shallow fry in rice bran oil. Don’t overcook – remove from the oil as soon as the crumb coating is golden and crisp. Overcooking will cause the crumbs to harden and the calamari to toughen. Drain well on kitchen paper before serving.

Perfect accompaniments for this dish include freshly-made coleslaw, whole baked potatoes and a bottle of quality Riesling. Enjoy!