By Jehan Yusoof  |  Updated September 12, 2026  |  ★ 4.2 (2 reviews)  |  0 Comments

Crispy Batter-fried calamari(squid, or calamari) is a popular seafood starter that is hard to resist and addictive. It’s crispy on the outside and tender in the middle, with a coating and sauce that you’ll fall in love with.
Want a vegetarian version? My hot butter mushroom recipe uses the same buttery, spicy sauce.
Looking for the curry version instead? Try my calamari curry (cuttlefish dallo curry).

If you try this, I’d love to know how it turned out. Just tap the stars★ in the recipe card; it helps other cooks find this recipe.

What is hot butter cuttlefish?

Hot butter cuttlefish is a popular Sri Lankan bite or appetiser made from batter-fried cuttlefish coated in a garlic butter sauce, made with chilli paste and chopped scallions.
The best way to enjoy a plate of hot butter cuttlefish is when it’s served from the stove to your table, hot hot.

Ingredients you will need for hot butter cuttlefish.

You’ll find exact quantities in the recipe card below.

• To coat and season the cuttlefish.
  • Cuttlefish(squid or calamari): the three are interchangeable. You can also buy pre-cleaned and frozen to skip the cleaning step.
  • Egg whites: help to bind the cornflour coating to the cuttlefish.
  • Cornflour: gives the coating its crunch when fried.
  • Salt, black pepper and turmeric: season the cuttlefish before it’s coated and fried
  • Oil for frying: needs to stay at a steady temperature; avoid overcrowding the pan.
• To make the hot butter sauce
  • Spring onions: tossed through the sauce at the end for freshness and colour.
  • Butter: the main ingredient in the sauce; what gives the dish its name
  • Minced garlic: cooked into the butter for the sauce. It flavours and adds aroma to the butter sauce.
  • Chilli paste: provides spiciness to the dish. Increase or decrease as needed.
  • Sugar: balances all the other flavours.

Tips and suggestions to make hot butter cuttlefish.

• Cleaning cuttlefish(also known as squid, calamari).
  • You can now buy cleaned and frozen cuttlefish in most supermarkets.
    • I would recommend buying these to make the hot butter cuttlefish.
    • But if you are cleaning the fresh cuttlefish on your own, follow the instructions below or watch my YouTube video on how to clean cuttlefish.
    • Here’s a quick summary of how to clean cuttlefish.
      1. If you want to clean and prepare the fresh cuttlefish, then do it a day before and freeze it to reduce work.
      2. Keep in mind that once you’ve cleaned it, the calamari should be white, minus the spine and anything that is jelly-like or hard in texture.
      3. First, fill a pan with water and add half a teaspoon of turmeric powder.
      4. Leave it for a few minutes and start pulling off the outer Purple skin. The grainy texture of the turmeric helps to remove the skin and reduce the odour.
      5. Gently pull off the head of the squid by twisting it without breaking the ink sac.
      6. Cut off the tentacles; if you are using them, remove the hard part in the middle of them, which you can squeeze out and use the tentacles as well.
      7. Once you peel off the Purple skin, move on to finding the quill of the cuttlefish.
      8. Reach inside the squid and pull it out; you know it’s the quill as it looks like a piece of plastic. Then remove any gel-like lumps you may find inside.
      9. To clean the inside, you can cut the pouch-like body of the cuttlefish open and scrape the inside clean.
      10. Drain and dry, then cut them into rings or the way you like them.

What you’ll need in the kitchen

• Chopping board and knife
• A large bowl to wash and clean the cuttlefish
• Large sieve or colander to remove excess water from cleaned and cut cuttlefish.
• Bowl to mix the dry flour batter.
• Bowl covered with kitchen paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
• Large slotted spoon.
• A large frying pan is needed to make the hot butter sauce and combine it with the batter-fried cuttlefish.

How to make Sri Lankan hot butter cuttlefish.
(Crispy fried squid)

PHOTO TUTORIAL

Prep work to make the recipe

With the cuttlefish cleaned and cut, get everything else prepped; this part moves fast once the oil is hot.

For this hot butter cuttlefish recipe, I’m using cleaned and frozen calamari as it saves so much time, as well as time spent on cleaning my chopping boards.
But if you are using fresh cuttlefish or calamari, use the instructions given above under “cleaning cuttlefish”.

Cutting the cuttlefish to batter fry

Once cleaned, cut them into rings or, as shown below, into rectangular strips.
The important part is to have thin slits in them.
I have shown them in the image below.

Washing the cuttlefish

Once you’ve cut them as shown or described above, place them in a bowl.
Add turmeric and salt.
Rub the cuttlefish with the ingredients and let it sit for a few minutes, then thoroughly wash the pieces in running water to get rid of the smell and slippery texture.
You will have to wash 2-3 times before placing the cuttlefish pieces in a colander or large sieve to drain all excess water.

Marinating the cuttlefish.

Once you’ve drained all excess water, place them in a large bowl.
Add salt and combine. I would suggest using a spoon or disposable gloves. The smell, despite washing, can still get into your hands.

Add the egg white to the cuttlefish pieces and combine well.

Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.

Coating the cuttlefish

Add cornflour, salt, pepper powder, and turmeric powder into a separate bowl. Mix well.

Have a large bowl covered with paper kitchen towels ready. This will hold the fried cuttlefish and absorb any extra oil. Set aside.

Place a medium-sized deep frying pan over a low-medium fire. Pour in the oil and gradually heat it.
To check if the oil has reached the frying temperature, place a wooden stick in it; if you see bubbles forming around it, your oil is ready to fry.

Once your oil is ready, add 2 or 3 pieces of the cuttlefish into the prepared cornflour.

Coat the Cuttlefish thoroughly, and shake off the excess flour.
Add the coated cuttlefish to the oil.

Frying the cuttlefish

When frying the cuttlefish, make sure the oil is on low to medium heat and stays constant throughout the frying process.
Fry the cuttlefish until they turn golden brown.
If you are making the batter-fried cuttlefish for the first time, start with a few pieces and then move on to frying in small batches.
Keep in mind that it only takes a second to burn them, so keep an eye on them.
Avoid the oil from smoking and regulate the heat by reducing and increasing the heat from the stove as needed.
Place them on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

Once you’ve fried all the cuttlefish, place them in a bowl with paper napkins to drain excess oil. Set them aside while you make the sauce.

Making the hot butter sauce for the fried cuttlefish

Place a large frying pan over low heat and add the butter.
As the butter melts, add the minced garlic.

Cook for 30 seconds over low heat. Then add the chilli paste.
Read beginner’s notes for chilli paste substitute.

Constantly stir while cooking the chilli paste over low heat.
You can add sugar to give it a touch of sweetness.

When the chilli paste butter sauce is ready, add the fried cuttlefish.

Combine well with the chilli paste. Add the scallions and mix.
Serve hot butter cuttlefish warm with lime wedges.

What to serve with hot butter cuttlefish.

• Serve as a savoury dish on its own.
• Serve with any type of rice.
  • How to cook rice on the stove.
  • Sri Lankan Yellow Rice(turmeric rice).
  • Easy lemon rice recipe.
  • Indian fragrant ghee rice(nei choru).

• Vegetarian dishes to pair with hot butter cuttlefish.
  • Pineapple salsa(fresh and easy to make).
  • Sri Lankan mildly spiced Pineapple curry. Or spicy pineapple curry.
  • Easy eggplant stir-fry
  • Potato and green bean curry(Sri Lankan, vegetarian).

More seafood recipes.

Calamari curry(cuttlefish curry).
Sri Lankan red chilli fish curry.
Chilli crab curry
Sri Lankan prawn curry.
Pepper prawn curry.

Storage, Freezing and Reheating guide.

• Storing in the refrigerator.
  • This dish is best eaten fresh, hot, and right off the stove. The coating tends to turn soggy as it sits in the sauce.
    If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container. I would recommend you consume it within 24 hours.
• Reheating.
  • Let it reach room temperature, then heat over the stovetop with a little butter.
• Freezing.
  • Not recommended.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JEHAN
Recipe creator. Food Blogger. Video creator
I’ve been cooking and sharing Sri Lankan recipes, along with other dishes I love making at home on Island Smile since 2015. I’ve tested every recipe on this site more than once in my own kitchen before it goes on the blog.
I grew up eating this food, and I still cook it the same way my family taught me, just written down clearly enough that you can follow it too.
If a recipe doesn’t work the way I say it will, tell me in the comments; I read every one, and I’ll help you fix it.