America's Test Kitchen

US · americastestkitchen.com

Cook’s Insider: Don't Fry Calamari—Sear It

Plus, how to prevent fruit from ripening too fast

This email was sent

June 2, 2026 6:06am EDT

Is this your brand on Milled? Claim it.

Matte tone:

Pan-Seared Squid with Serrano Chile, Whole Spices, and Lime

Don’t Fry Calamari—Sear It

Steve Dunn

Senior Food Editor

To all the shellfish lovers out there: You’ve been overlooking one of the seafood counter’s best catches.

I’m talking about squid, which is universally beloved as fried calamari—but it has so much more potential.

Weeknight-dinner potential, in fact, since it’s one of the fastest-cooking proteins you can buy. And one of the best ways to enjoy it is also the easiest and most versatile to prepare: pan searing, where you flash the rings and tentacles in a hot pan just long enough that they pick up flavorful browning but retain their natural tenderness. Then, throw some seasonings at them, since squid’s clean, briny sweetness jibes with just about anything.

In other words, treat squid like shrimp. It’s got a lot of the same appeal and at least as much to offer in terms of convenience and value. The key is to maximize browning while minimizing cooking, which is easy with the following method. Go behind the recipe for pan-seared calamari

FEATURED RECIPE

Pan-Seared Squid with Serrano Chile, Whole Spices, and Lime

Season quick-cooking squid with piquant chiles and lime for a dynamic weeknight dinner.

get the recipe

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

•

The key to pan searing squid is to encourage rapid browning so that it develops flavor and color without losing its natural tenderness.

•

Blotting the squid between paper towels removes excess moisture.

•

Tossing it with salt and sugar (which hastens browning) just before cooking leaves little time for those seasonings to draw out its moisture.

•

Searing in batches prevents a buildup of moisture in the pan that would thwart browning, and letting the squid sear untouched for most of the cooking time helps it develop deep color.

•

Squid’s clean, briny sweetness pairs beautifully with bold flavor profiles.

RECIPE DEVELOPED BY Steve Dunn

Steve Dunn is a senior food editor at America’s Test Kitchen. He graduated at the top of his class from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where he lived for two years. While in France he also trained at the Ritz-Escoffier and Lenôtre cooking schools as well as the École du Vin de Bordeaux. He was named a No Kid Hungry Hero in 2015 by the Share Our Strength organization for his work fighting childhood hunger.

Make a Wood Chip Packet to Get Great Smoked Flavor on a Gas Grill

For deep smoke flavor that rivals the results from a charcoal grill, start with a precisely engineered wood chip foil packet. Try this out on your grill this summer

RELATED RECIPE

Smoky Pulled Pork on a Gas Grill

We’ve always believed that a gas grill just can’t match charcoal when it comes to flavor. But after months of testing, our gas-grilled pulled pork didn’t just match charcoal—it beat it.

VIEW RECIPE

Science

How to Prevent Fruit from Ripening Too Fast

Once it’s ripe, the clock is ticking. Get our best tips

Save on Digital Membership

Unlock the secret to flavor-packed, healthier meals & more Test Kitchen discoveries with an ATK Essential Membership.

Join now for just $49.95/year ($4.17 a month) and get 14 days instant free access.

Keeping up with the team . . .

By Alyssa Vaughn, Senior Content Editor

What I’m Reading

New Culinary Media

I think it’s safe to say we’re officially entering a food writing renaissance. So many new, scrappy food media projects have emerged of late, from Best Food Blog to the resurrected Gourmet to Tomato Tomato to Ravenous. Worker-owned and mission-driven, these outlets seek to cover restaurants, cooking, and culture with sharpness and depth, which is something I think we’re all pretty hungry for.

Under the Radar

Crispy-Skinned Salmon

There are certain recipes that have devoted fan bases within our staff, and I was recently introduced to another one: Crispy-Skinned Salmon with Cucumber-Herb Salad. When someone mentioned it in a meeting recently, it seemed like everyone else in the room immediately jumped in to rave about how simple and effective this technique is for achieving salmon with crackly, bronzed skin. I tried it that night, and everyone was right: This is one of those recipes to memorize and lean on weekly.