Fried Calamari with Lemon Herb Mayo

Fried Calamari:

3 to 4 cups grapeseed oil for frying

1 cup rice flour (all-purpose flour may be substituted)

1 tbsp sea salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp italian seasoning

2 lbs calamari bodies sliced into 1/4-inch rings (or 1 -2 1/2 lb package frozen, cleaned calamari (tubes and tentacles), thawed
1 lemon sliced into thin rounds, for garnish

Preheat oven to 175 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with layers of paper towels and set aside. In a dutch oven, add 2 inches of grapeseed oil. Heat over high heat until very hot but not smoking (when a pinch of flour is added, it should sizzle). Meanwhile, in a large plastic bag, combine flour, salt, pepper, and italian seasoning. Place about 1/3 of calamari in flour mixture and shake well. Remove calamari from bag, shaking off as much extra flour as possible. Add flour-dusted calamari to pot and fry, turning occasionally, until light golden in color, about 4 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, place cooked calamari onto prepared baking sheet and place in oven to keep warm while preparing remaining batches of calamari. Remove all from oven when done. Transfer calamari and lemon rounds to a serving platter and serve with the lemon herb mayo.

Lemon Herb Mayo:

Mix together in a food processor:

1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 cup light mayo

1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning