This is a favorite pasta dish made with just a few basic ingredients. It serves as a wonderful pasta course in a multi-course Italian dinner, or as an entrée complemented by a green salad and some crusty Italian bread. The key to success is to be sure you don’t overcook the calamari.
Squid In Marinara Sauce Over Linguine
A simple pasta dish that can be served as part of a multi-course Italian dinner, or as a main dish alongside a salad to complete the meal.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces linguine
- 1-1/2 lbs calamari, squid, cleaned
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 container, 28-ounce crushed or undrained diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Separate the tentacles from the calamari bodies. Remove any hard cartilage from the base of the tentacles or interior of the “tubes” and slice the bodies into 1/4″ rounds. Rinse the calamari in cold water, drain thoroughly, pat dry and refrigerate until you are ready to add it to the marinara.
- Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling for the linguine.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and sauté until the garlic is fragrant and barely golden, 2 minutes (do not brown).
- Add the tomatoes and oregano and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Add the calamari and simmer just long enough for it to turn opaque, about 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley, remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
- Cook and drain the linguine according to package directions.
- To serve, plate individual portions of linguine and ladle sauce over each.
Recipe Notes
As mentioned in the intro paragraph, the key to perfection with this dish is to be sure that you don’t cook the seafood to the point of being rubbery. Look for the calamari to turn opaque and lose its gelatinous quality. On a medium simmer, about 3 minutes should be enough.
Note: We’ve included this dish as part of our Christmas Eve In The Italian Tradition Menu.
Have you tried this recipe?Did you add your own special touch? We’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment and a rating to share your thoughts with others.
Mark Kuzmanovich says
Can I use fresh oregano
Lynne Webb says
Hi Mark,
Fresh oregano would be wonderful. When you use fresh herbs instead of dried you generally want to up the quantity because the flavor is not as concentrated. Enjoy!
char says
I have made this many times but I have never rated it . This is delicious and your cooking time is perfect for the squid ! we love it ! Have it over linguine ! awesome … thanks for sharing .
A. Lamb says
I hope this can be made with the dried squid I asked for recipes for.
Lynne Webb says
I have never used dried squid and am not sure how it will work in this recipe. I’m more familiar with it being used in Thai cuisine. If you try it, let us know how you make out.
Wayne Tulli says
Squid is best if tender. This recipe – must be followed exactly as if you overcook calamari, it will be like eating rubber bands.
Another way to cook calamari is to use a pressure cooker. Sounds a bit harsh but it actually takes the calamari from just done to tuff and then to tender. The sauce in the pressure cooker, imbued with the calamari flavor, is a wonderful bonus.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Wayne,
You’re right, you do have to be careful when cooking squid and the pressure cooker is a great idea. Thanks for sharing.
Lina Yacan says
Hi, I have frozen ready cut squids at home. will the cooking tip stay same for frozen squids or do I need to cook longer?
Also I cant find oregano, I have dry thymes, fresh dill, fresh parsley and dried rosemary at home. can I susbtitute with one of these herbs ?
Lynne Webb says
Hi Lina,
I would suggest defrosting the squid in a bowl of cold water before cooking. If the squid is already cut into rings, it shouldn’t take any more than 5 or 10 minutes. If the tubes are whole, it will take a little longer and you may want to change the water to keep it from getting too cold. Drain the squid well, pat dry with paper towels and proceed with the recipe as written. Regarding the herbs – fresh parsley, and perhaps a little thyme would be fine. I would avoid dill and rosemary though.
James says
That’s not crushed tomatoes in the photo.
Lynne Webb says
Hi James,
You’re right – the recipe has been updated to included crushed or diced tomatoes. Thanks for letting us know.