Calamari in Red Wine and Tomato Sauce

It was delicious, definitely a keeper.

Since this was my first time making this dish, I followed the recipe almost exactly. The only big change I made was to not over-cook the calamari, per other users’ suggestions. Once I added the calamari, I only let it continue simmering on low heat for about 10 minutes. This was sufficient to cook it all the way through without it turning rubbery. It was tender and the pasta was very flavorful. I also added about 1/4 cup canned diced tomatoes (drained) just for a little something extra in the sauce (my only other change). It was a little spicy for me, but that’s all about personal preference, I suppose. My husband and I both really liked it and thought it would be worth making again.

My husband and son really liked this. I used fresh calamari and 2 of them I stuffed with shrimp. Will do it again.

Pretty good dish. I made my own tomato sauce (moderately spicy via diced jalapeno) one day and let it sit overnight cause I didn’t want to use it until today. I mostly followed the recipe though added a drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar. I also used cooked frozen tentacle chunks after simmering for an hour…they only needed to heat up. Used a fat, ribbed tube pasta. Now it’s a meal. The sauce will turn more of a ruddy red/brown color, like in the picture after cooking down.

Tried it exactly as written. A bit acidic and bland for my taste, but ok. The sauce truly needs at least 30 minutes for all flavors to blend and the wine to mellow out. The cooking time for squid was accurate. Fresh lemon juice is key. Again, not bad, but I’ve had and made better recipes. If I was to make it again, I would probably decrease the wine OR increase the sauce simmer time, add a pinch of sugar and salt, and a handful of fresh basil, oregano and parsley.

This dish combination is very bland, plain and simple, not sure what can save it.

Tried this for the first time and it was absolutely delicious. Only changes I made was instead of 4 cups of tomato sauce, I added a 14.5 oz can of Del Monte’s chopped tomates with onions and green peepers and 2 cups of tomato sauce. I also added I can of chopped clams, one lb of shrimp and a 1.5 lbs of calamari. Family loved it with wheat spaghetti.

Used two tubes of squid and halved ingredients. Had my own tomato sauce canned and the sauce was delicious!!! Had calamari in on low for about 8 minutes and were still a little tough… will know better next time. 20-30 minutes? You must have turned off the heat or sth. Thanks, though! Great dish!

My family enjoyed this meal. I sauteed the calamari until just opaque, then put them into the sauce for about 5-10 minutes. Calamari wasn’t rubbery at all. I served it over pasta and it was a hit! Is the 20-30 minutes to simmer the calamari a typo? Thanks for sharing such a delicious dish!

Like others I used Frozen Squid Rings. I made a Marinara from fresh Roma Tomatoes and added some sliced Mushrooms. I used Syrah Red Wine due to its dryness and bold complexity.I upped the Garlic and Lemon Juice, and added some fresh Parsley when the sauce was done. I also cooked the Squid for 10-15 minutes, just right.The sauce was simmered for about an hour before I added the Squid.I added some of the lemon juice to the sauce before I served it. I served this over Linguine cooked “Al Dente” with crusty bread and the Syrah Wine. It was delicious!

This is very tasty, thank you. Just to clarify re the science of rubbery squid: Rubbery meat or seafood is caused by the action of the heat on the proteins, making them contract so they get tight and tough. However, as anyone who has ever cooked a pot roast knows, in the presence of liquid, slow cooking causes those same bonds break down again, and the protein becomes soft. So… with squid, the rule is either very fast or very slow. Never in between. Flash fry, deep fry or braise slowly. Squid cooked properly is unbelievably tender. Bon Appetit!

Very simple and easy to add your own twist on. I only had marsala wine and it still worked out great!

I only used this recipe for the sauce, and I must say I’ve made it twice since I tried it, its amazing, I’ve been using it for every red sauce I need and it just makes everything taste amazing!!

I read some reviews before attempting this recipe.I used fresh tomatoes in place of sauce.I also used red pepper flakes instead of cayenne pepper.It was not so overwhelming hot,just warm.I also cooked the calamari 10 min..It was delightful!

I thought this sauce was a tad too acidic but I still liked the taste. I cooked the calamari for only 10 min as other’s suggested. It still came out rubbery. I added bay scallops and shrimp thank goodness. I think I would make this again. I also used diced tomatoes instead of the “sauce” so I simmered it much longer than the recipe called for to soften the tomatoes. It was a good recipe I guess.

This one was REALLY good. I literally just finished eating it and had to get on here to review it. We made a few changes though. ~more garlic ~Tabasco sauce rather than the cayenne pepper ~added a basil leaf I also recommend that you do have some time to prepare this one as well. Cleaning the calamari took a bit longer than I thought it was going to. Overall though it was VERY good and well worth the prep time. ~~~Emerald05 P.S.- Expect the sauce to be a thin. If you like the sauce thicker I recommend simmering it for a longer amount of time to thicken it.

i simply loved this recipe.even my fussy daughter loved it.wont change a thing from it.will definitly do it again and again.

I loved the idea of this one … however, the calamari (and hence the sauce) would have tasted better if I have marinated it in Lemon juice and some salt and pepper a few hours before. Also a quick run in the separate skillet, might have improved the taste of the calamari before putting in the sauce. I will try it this way again and probably post again!

I am not a fan of pre-made sauce so I used crushed tomatoes and fresh basil instead. I cooked the sauce down a little longer than 30 minutes. I too agree that even on the lowest flame, the calamari should be cooked for far less than 30 minutes. Other than that, this was yummy and easy!

“Add the calamari to the sauce. Continue to slowly simmer for about another 20 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally” – seriously?? I added in the squid, and it was maybe 8 minutes for it to be done (about as long as it took for the calamari to take on the color of the sauce, and to plump up). The only other changes I made were to add a can of diced tomatoes, and I used Burgandy. This was a really nice meal, but I would never ever simmer any kind of seafood for 30 minutes.

This came out very good. The only change I made was adding a can of diced tomatoes as It didn’t look like there would be enough sauce for the calamari. I served it over rice noodles. I thought the recipe asked for way too much cayenne although I did use less than what the recipe called for. I cooked the calamari for about 10 minutes and it came out perfect. Don’t cook it for any longer as it might get rubbery.