Fried Baby Squid from Spain – Puntillitas Fritas Recipe

The Puntillitas Fritas or fried baby squid as they are called in English is a very popular food from Southern Spain.

Even though there is no particular date of creation of this dish, it is believed that sailors from the third-century A.C were the first ones to introduce different types of fried fish plates.

If you are looking for what to eat in Malaga you might find them as calamaritos and in other parts of Andalusia it is called choquitos or chopitos, but either way, you are getting a delicious fried seafood.

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Background of the Dish

Just make sure not to mistake them for chipirones. What’s the difference between chipirones and puntillitas? Chipirones are baby calamari, whereas puntillitas are made from baby squid.

Also, know that squid is a different species than calamari. Thus puntillitas are nor fried calamari.

To this day, eating puntillitas fritas and other types of tapas is one of the best things to do in Murcia, but if you can’t go to Southern Spain, with this recipe you will get a heads up about the experience! 

Step by Step instructions

To make this baby squid recipe you will need the following ingredients

• 500g of baby squid
• salt
• 120g of corn or chickpea flour
• 100g of regular (wheat) Flour
• Extra virgin olive oil

1. The first step to start with this recipe is very simple, you just have to wash and clean your baby squids. But do this carefully, since some of them might have some sand or dust on their inside and you don’t want to find that when you bite into it!
2. After that let them dry, you can speed up this process by drying them with a clean kitchen towel.
3. In a large bowl mix the wheat flour and the corn or chickpea flour. Don’t worry if you don’t have one of them, you can use just one type, but by using both you will get a crunchy result and a more powerful flavor. 
4. Once you mix your flour, toss your baby squids into that bowl and make sure they get entirely covered by the flour, this way you will ensure getting a really crispy result. In the meantime preheat your extra virgin olive oil in a deep and large pan.
5. When your oil is hot, it is time to start frying your puntillitas! You can drop and deep fry them one by one if you don’t feel comfortable cooking with hot oil, but if you are already used to it you can drop as much as you can but making sure that they have enough room.
6. The last step is very simple too! You just have to remove the excess oil from the squids, put a little bit more of salt on top of them and that’s it! They are ready to be served.   

Substitution of ingredients

A lot of people are gluten intolerant or have celiac disease, but thankfully there is a gluten-free version for them!

If you still want to get a crispy squid but make it gluten-free, you just have to change the flour for the same amount of cornstarch.

Also, make sure that the oil is new and that every pan is clean so there is no risk of gluten getting into your dish.

Besides that, if you want to spice things up, you can add some paprika or pepper into the flour and mix it, this way your dish will get a nice and soft heat that will elevate the flavor. You can also add some bread crumbs into the flour for an extra crisp.

There are other squid recipes that allow you to bake or boil the squid, but the best way to cook squid, especially baby squid, is to fry it!

Try another Andalucian recipe such as the fried Spanish calamari rings, the Spanish clams, or the Spanish fried fish for an authentic Spanish experience.

Tips on Serving

This is a type of dish that shines on its own, but if you add some elements you can highly elevate the quality of the dish.

One of the easiest ways to elevate the fried baby squid dish is to serve it right next with dipping sauces, like aioli sauce, and sour cream with chopped chives.

Just make sure that the sauce is a creamy one that blends with the fish flavor, this means that sauces like barbeque or mustard wouldn’t fit in this category since they don’t blend well with fried fish.

Besides that, if you ever find yourself looking for what to eat in Granada, you will probably find multiple restaurants that serve them with potato fries.

But if you are not that lucky, you can easily make them at home, and they will be the perfect company for your baby squid!

I love to serve them with lemon wedges and black pepper on top!

Tips on Storage

The best way to store this baby squid food is to store it right after it is cooked in a container with a lid, this way you will prevent all the fishy smell from getting into your fridge. 

Also, you just keep it from 1 to 3 days in the fridge, since if you let it there more time the squid will lose its freshness and it will also get soggy.

Besides that, if you want to freeze them you have to do it after you put the flour on them but before frying them.

If you freeze them once that they have already got fried, then they won’t get crispy.

You can’t get enough of this fried baby squid recipe from Spain? Have a look at my puntillitas recipe webstory!

Spanish Fried Baby Squid – Recipe Card

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