BEST Calamari

I've mentioned in earlier posts that I usually just eat calamari for the sauce - it's all about using something fried as a vessel for great marinara. But - similarly to last time, while in Pittsburgh - I've disproved my own theory. The calamari at Wholey's fish market doesn't need a sauce, or a light dressing, or even some lemon juice: it's calamari in its purest form, and it is DELICIOUS. We asked for a small side (big mistake...we went back once? twice?? to order more) and they took out the raw calamari from the case - calamari that could only have been caught and brought in earlier that morning, it tasted SO fresh. They dredged each piece quickly in some flour then threw them into the boiling oil, and in about a minute or two we were given a piping hot, fresh order of the side.

I feel a little blasphemous saying this, but I now realize...marinara is just a cover up for mediocre calamari. And that's okay! Because I really love marinara. But truly good, fresh calamari doesn't need to be dressed up at all. I didn't think it was even possible until Wholey's. They've changed the way I now look at fish.

Where you can enjoy this yourself:

Wholey Fish Market
1711 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
http://www.wholey.com/