Tender Stuffed Calamari (Sicilian Style): Baked in a tomato sauce with olives

There’s more to life than fried calamari. This stuffed calamari recipe will have you forget all about it. It’s stuffed with a savory breadcrumb filling and baked in a rich tomato sauce with briny olives. If you are looking for a seafood dish for Christmas Eve or just Friday nights then this is a great one to have in your Italian fish recipe repertoire.
Serves 4 people as a main course

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 to 45 minutes

Ingredients:
8 whole cleaned calamari (with tentacles if possible)
150 grams of stale bread or bread crumbs
1 egg beaten
¼ cup of grated parmesan
1 garlic clove grated
¼ cup of capers
Minced tentacles from the squid
¼ cup of chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon of Extra virgin olive oil
250 grams of whole peeled tomatoes in a can
½ cup of olives
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Preheat an oven to 375°F before preparing the calamari.

Finely mince the tentacles and set them aside. In a bowl, add the breadcrumbs or stale bread, the grated cheese, the capers, fresh parsley, olive oil and then grate a garlic clove into the mixture. Add a beaten egg and combine all the ingredients. If it seems dry then add a little more olive oil.

Using a spoon fill the calamari tubes until they are ¾ filled. Use a toothpick to close the ends. In a baking dish, add the tomatoes and then crush them with a spoon if you are using large tomatoes. If you use cherry tomatoes then leave them whole. Add some salt and pepper and the olives.

Layer the calamari into the dish and then cover with more of the sauce. Place the baking dish in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until you can pierce them with a knife easily.

Serve immediately.