DESPITE its status as the nation’s smallest state when it comes to land, Rhode Island is big on food, offering several specialties that are difficult to find outside its tiny terrain. Consider stuffies—a version of stuffed clams, typically made with linguiça, a Portuguese sausage. Or coffee milk—milk and coffee syrup mixed together, like a chocolate-milk alternative.
But as America learned over the summer, Rhode Island’s true culinary passion might be calamari (aka squid), the tentacled delicacy that’s a traditional staple in Mediterranean and Asian countries and has been catching on in the U.S. over the past couple of decades. Joseph McNamara, chair of the state’s Democratic Party, pronounced Rhode Island the “calamari comeback state” during his roll-call moment at the Democratic National Convention in August, as he stood on a beach joined by a chef from Iggy’s Boardwalk Lobster & Clam Bar bearing a tray of the seafood favorite in its ever-popular fried form.
It wasn’t an idle boast: Rhode Island is considered the East Coast commercial hub for calamari. Plenty of fishing boats operate out of Point Judith, a village otherwise best known as a launching point for ferry service to Block Island, a popular summertime destination. The annual statewide catch grew by 60% over the past decade, reaching 32 million pounds in 2019. Mr. McNamara, a state representative, has made calamari something of a calling card, having successfully pushed for it to be named the state’s official appetizer in 2014.
Throughout the U.S., calamari is typically served fried and fairly unadorned—maybe with a wedge of lemon or a side of marinara sauce. But in the Ocean State, frying the calamari is merely the first step. Next, the rings (and tentacles, if included) are typically combined with a sauteed mix of garlic and hot peppers. Result: a kind of smothered fried calamari with a spicy boost.
The exact origins of the dish are unclear, at least according to Gail Ciampa, longtime food editor at the Providence Journal. “This is one of those things that’s just been there forever,” she said. So locally popular is this version of fried calamari she added, it seems like practically every Rhode Island restaurant serves it.
