This recipe comes from How to Roast a Lamb: New Greek Classic Cooking (Little, Brown) by Michael Psilakis.
This is the Greek take on fritto misto, and you can add all kinds of things--vegetables, meat, poultry--here as long as they are cut in pieces small enough to cook at about the same time. I prefer you use really, really fresh calamari (squid) here. However, if you use frozen calamari, make sure you take the calamari out of the frozen juices as soon as it is thawed and use it the same day.
Everyone is familiar with fried calamari, that Italian staple most often served with a heavy tomato sauce. In the Greek kitchen, we prefer to complement fried fish with a tart, acidic sauce to keep the palate alive and kicking.
Serves 6 to 8 as a meze
• 1 pound calamari (squid) cleaned, heads separated from the bodies
• 12 small oil-packed Greek sardines or white anchovies, fresh whitebait, or fresh smelt
• About 2 cups milk
• Canola, safflower, or blended oil, for deep-frying
• All-purpose flour
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• 1 cup drained Chickpea Confit (page 266) or canned chickpeas, well rinsed and drained
• 2 shallots, cut into 1/4-inch rings
• 1 lemon, sliced paper-thin
• 1/3 cup small, picked sprigs parsley
• 1/3 cup small, picked sprigs dill
• 10 leaves fresh basil or mint
• Tsatziki (page 189), for serving (or just serve with lemon wedges)