We had an appetizer at Toppers by the Sea in early May called calamari with pepperoncini. It was delicious! It was real spicy and we just love anything with calamari, different from the old standby, fried calamari. Does anyone know or have a recipe on how this is made? Would love to recreate this one. Thanks!!

Love that stuff. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

as far as I'm concerned, as long as calamari is not overcooked, It's good...
although, on the South Fork of LI, it is called calamari, at $12+ per pound...
On the North Fork of LI it is called BAIT, at $2.99 per pound...
Same suppliers, same packaging... go figure???

Thats funny Brian, my son, who loves calamari had asked us not too long ago if this was the same stuff we used for bait during our summers on Barnegat Bay fishing. (and it was but I never told him). Still looking for that recipe!

I have a "rule" about favorite restaurant dishes, and that is that I don't try to recreate them at home. That way it's always a treat when I have it at the restaurant.

Georgia, I adhere to that rule too, mostly...
I have been (unsucessfully) trying to duplicate the Stuffed Christophine Recipe from Talk of the Town for a few years now...
I've come close, but there's still something missing???

Craving kamikaze kalamari but cannot find a recipe online remotely close to what is on the menu at Toppers. Google did find this old thread though. Did you have any luck? I'm planning on winging it tonight to make something that is hopefully close.

A while ago I tried to duplicate the recipe, it was okay but not Toppers. I sautéed garlic in olive oil and added the sliced pepperoncini, a splash of white wine. Added slice fresh calamari and only cooked it for about a minute and a half. This is kind of what the waitress told me how they make it there. Still, I just felt something was missing. Interested to know how you make out.

Fast reply- thanks! I wasn't sure if they sautéed or steamed. I was considering marinading for a short period prior to, grilling, then tossing with pepperoncini dressing and lime juice. I'll post later how it turns out. Will be interesting.

here it is. pretty close and very tasty. my upper hand was very fresh calamari, so the actual texture was better. flavor wise toppers version. what i did:

marinated the sliced calamari in olive oil and lime juice for a short time, about 30mins. sautéed a mashed garlic clove and sliced pepperoncini. seasoned calamari with salt then added it to the pan, sauté for approx 1.5mins. added a splash of white wine towards the end before taking it off the heat. transferred to a bowl and added more pepperoncini as well as some of its liquid, and another squeeze of lime. not bad! just missing the view...

WOW. Forgot to ask you in my post to post a pic. It looks delish! Thanks so much! Will have to make this real soon. Glad it worked for you.