Fried calamari and tomato sauce is one of the great food combinations. Fried calamari is sweet and crispy, and tomato sauce is slightly acidic—that’s a culinary trifecta! Without the fat and calories of the original, you get to eat a lot of this. Use as a spicy fra diavolo pasta sauce as you can handle—the heat will make the dish feel bigger and richer.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

　　2 1/2 cups whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs, such as Ian’s All-Natural

　　4 large egg whites

　　8 ounces cleaned calamari bodies, cut into 1/2-inch-wide rings

　　Garlic salt

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　Nonstick cooking spray

　　1 cup fra diavolo pasta sauce, such as Victoria

　　4 lemon wedges

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Place a wire rack on a foil-lined baking sheet, and set it aside.

　　

Step 2

Put the flour in a shallow dish. Put the panko in another shallow dish. In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites with a whisk until they are extremely foamy but not quite holding peaks.

　　

Step 3

Working in batches, dredge the calamari in the flour, shaking off any excess. Add the calamari to the egg whites and toss to coat completely. Add the calamari, a few pieces at a time, to the panko to coat completely.

　　

Step 4

Spread the calamari out on the wire rack, and season generously with garlic salt and pepper. Spray the calamari lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Bake until the breading is golden and crispy and the calamari is cooked through, about 14 minutes.

　　

Step 5

Meanwhile, pour the pasta sauce into a small microwave-safe bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and heat it in the microwave until it is hot, about 2 minutes.

　　

Step 6

Serve the calamari with the lemon wedges and the sauce for dipping.

　　

healthy tips

Step 7

Use my faux-frying technique on any traditionally fried food you can’t resist but whose calorie count you can’t abide. Try it, veggie tempura style, on thin slices of sweet potato, zucchini, summer squash, carrots, broccoli florets, and mushrooms.

　　

nutrition information

Step 8

Fat: 81g (before), 3.6g (after)

　　

Step 9

Calories 1,180 (before), 208 (after)

　　

Step 10

Protein: 19g

　　

Step 11

Carbohydrates: 27g

　　

Step 12

Cholesterol: 132mg

　　

Step 13

Fiber: 5g

　　

Step 14

Sodium: 155mg

　　Now Eat This by Rocco DiSpirito. Copyright © 2010 by Rocco DiSpirito. Published by Random House Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Hailed as the "Leading Chef of his Generation" by Gourmet magazine, Rocco DiSpirito received the James Beard Award for his first cookbook, Flavor. He went on to author Rocco's Italian-American (2004), Rocco's Five Minute Flavor (2005), Rocco's Real-Life Recipes (2007), and Rocco Gets Real (2009). DiSpirito also starred in the Food Network series Melting Pot, the NBC hit reality series The Restaurant, and the A&E series Rocco Gets Real.