Stuffed Calamari with Feta and Cherry Tomatoes

Stuffed calamari with feta and cherry tomatoes is a delicious dish and a perfect meeting of sea and Mediterranean flavors. Here’s how to prepare this dish.

Ingredients

• 4 medium-sized calamari, cleaned
• 200 g of feta cheese
• 200 g of cherry tomatoes
• 1 clove of garlic
• Fresh parsley to taste
• Pitted black olives to taste
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Start by rinsing the calamari well under cold running water. Dry them and set aside.
2. Prepare the filling by dicing the feta into small cubes and quartering the cherry tomatoes. Mix in a bowl the feta, cherry tomatoes, a bit of chopped parsley, and sliced black olives. Season with oregano, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
3. Fill the calamari with the mixture, being careful not to overfill them to prevent them from opening during cooking. You can seal them with a toothpick if necessary.
4. In a pan, heat a drizzle of oil with a clove of garlic. Once the garlic is golden, remove it and place the stuffed calamari in the pan. Cook over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes per side, until the calamari are golden and the feta slightly melted.
5. Serve the calamari hot, garnished with the rest of the chopped parsley.

A perfect match for this dish is a fresh and mineral white wine, such as a Fiano di Avellino or a Vermentino from Sardinia, whose acidity and scent of the sea will enhance the flavors of the dish.

Curiosity

Calamari is a very versatile element in the kitchen and can be cooked in many ways. In Italy, the most common version of stuffed calamari uses stale bread, capers, anchovies, and parsley for the filling, which shows how Italian cuisine is masterful in the art of reusing ingredients and transforming them into tasty and refined dishes.