History

Fried squid rings are a tapa all along the Spanish coast, floured or battered and fried in very hot oil. In Salou squid carries more weight: the town's Festa del Calamar, a squid-fishing contest from the Club Nàutic with a popular tasting on the harbour breakwater, reached its 50th edition in 2025, and the tourism office calls the squid the town's emblematic product.

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Common allergens: Molluscs, Gluten

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4 as a tapaHands-on 15 minTotal 30 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 500g fresh squid tubes
  • 100g plain flour
  • 1 egg (optional, for batter)
  • Sunflower or olive oil for frying
  • Salt
  • Lemon wedges

Method

  1. Clean the squid, cut the tubes into rings about 1 cm wide and pat them very dry.
  2. Season the flour with salt; dip the rings in beaten egg if you want a batter, then toss them in the flour.
  3. Heat the oil to about 180C and fry the rings in small batches for 1 to 2 minutes, until pale gold.
  4. Drain on paper and serve at once with lemon.

Tip from the editors. Fry in small batches so the oil stays hot; crowded squid steams and turns rubbery.

Where to eat calamars a la romana

Calamars a la romana in Salou

Terramar ★ 4.0

€€ SeafoodCentre

Terramar is a family-run seafood bar on the harbour breakwater in Salou, frying squid and steaming mussels since 1983, with tables looking over the port.

OrderCalamares a la romana and steamed mussels, the two plates the Repsol guide recommends.

TipTerramar takes no reservations, so arrive early; the Repsol guide flags the queues that build at peak times.

Directions

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