Deep Fried Calamari

1. Clean and remove the skin and spines of about 2 lbs or 1 kilo of squid (sorry I don't know the variety but the ones that have a thin meat). You may keep the head but you have to remove the ink sac.
2. Cut it into rings and immerse in buttermilk for 30 minutes.
3. For the coating mix in a bowl the following:
a. 2 cups Flour e. 1 ½ tsp Garlic Powder
b. 1 ½ tsp Onion Powder f. 1 tsp Cayenne
c. 1 tsp BBQ Spice g. 1 tsp Salt
d. 1 tsp White Pepper
(PLEASE TAKE NOTE: Don't make this into a batter otherwise It takes longer for the heat to get through to the squid and by the time it does two things will happen; your coating will get burnt and the squid will be too under cooked)
4. After marinating the squid, shake of the excess buttermilk and coat them with the Coating Mixture in batches. (NOTE: To avoid getting you mixture soggy with the buttermilk drippings from the squid I found it best to place the squid in a strainer and sprinkle it with the mixture so as to remove the excess Coating Mixture and the soggy seasoned coating remains in the strainer which I then discard.
5. Make sure you have enough oil to deep fry the calamari and only start frying the squid once the oil is really hot so as to create that crispy coating and securing the squid from getting soaked in oil.
6. Cook in small batches to maintain the high oil temperature and do not overcook otherwise the squid becomes too tough. Cook the calamari in just under 15 seconds. After which place them on a rack to let them cool and let the excess oil drip out. Placing them on paper towels tends to make the calamari soggy.

To serve, place the calamari in a bowl with any dipping sauce you like. I used homemade cocktail sauce and aioli sauce.