Mon Calamari! it’s a trap! Flatbread

Admiral’s log… we have encountered a most unusual culinary construct. Fluffy dough serves as the vessel, stable, well-formed. Upon it…fried calamari. My people. Yes. Well. War requires difficult alliances. This ‘Greek salsa’…tomatoes, capers, pickled cucumbers, red onion… it is bright, briny, almost oceanic in character. The oregano and garlic lend it strength. Feta cheese..sharp, structured. Pepperoncini…aggressive, but not without purpose. And this tzatziki… cool, calculated. A stabilizing force…Remarkable. The textures are in harmony, crisp, soft, and tender. The flavors…salt, acid, herb, and heat, operate together like a well-coordinated fleet. Though it is… unusual… to consume fried calamari in such a manner… one cannot deny the effectiveness of the composition. We will proceed…And perhaps requisition another.

Ingredients

1 lb pizza dough
4 squids, tentacles and tubes
1 cup flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground bay leaf
1/4 tsp Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup bonito flakes
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp soy sauce
2 cups neutral oil for frying
2-3 lemon wedges
2 large tomatoes
1/2 green pepper
1/2 red onion
1 tsp anchovy oil
1 tbs lemon juice (plus 1 tbs more for garnish)
1/2 cucumber (plus ½ cucumber more)
1 tbs peperoncini brine
1 tbs capers
2 cloves garlic (plus 1 more)
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/4 cup parsley (plus 1/4 cup more for garnish)
1 cup greek yogurt
1 tsb minced fresh dill
1 tbs minced fresh mint
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt
6 oz crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup pepperoncini
1 tbs minced fresh oregano

Directions

For the calamari, slice the tubes into rounds. Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, ground bay leaf, paparika, and oregano in a small bowl to combine. Season the calamari, tentacles and tube pieces, with the spice mixture.
In a 1 cup measure combine the milk, soy sauce, and tobiko flakes, let sit for 15 minutes to steep and then drain the mixture to remove the tobiko flakes into a small bowl to be used as part of your breading station. In an other small bowl, combine the flour and potato starch.
In a sauce pan, heat the oil to 350 degrees F for frying. Dredge the seasoned calamari in the flour mixture, then the milk mixture, and back in the flour mixture again. Shake off any extra flour and fry in batches for 3-4 minutes or until gloden brown. Allow calamari to drain on paper towels and season with salt and juice from lemon wedges.
For the salsa, slice the cucumber into 1/4 inch pieces and toss with the pepperoncini brine and capers in a small bowl, allow to sit for 15 minutes. Chop the tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces, chop the green pepper and onions into 1/4 inch pieces. In a bowl add the chopped vegetables and the pickled cucumber with the parsley, minced, and the garlic, pressed through a garlic press or minced, lemon juice, celery salt, and anchovy oil, toss to combine.
For the tzatziki, grate the cucumber on a box grater, drain any extra liquid, and place in a small bowl. To the bowl add the salt, white pepper, dill, mint, lemon zest, lemon juice, and olive oil, mix to combine and stir in the greek yogurt.
Pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees F.
Roll out your pizza dough and place on an oiled baking sheet. Top the dough with the salsa, fried calamari, feta cheese, and pepperoncini. Bake for 12 minutes, remove from oven and top with the tzatziki, remaining minced parsley, minced fresh oregano, and lemon zest.
Serve.