Quick Salt Pepper Squid Recipes

QUICK SALT & PEPPER SQUID

Steps:

• Ask the fishmonger to clean the squid; little ones often come ready-cleaned. Using kitchen scissors, cut open the body and open out. Wash well, then pat dry. If you have a large squid, cut the body into four portions, roughly square. Small squid can just be opened up.
• Using the tip of a very sharp knife, score the top in a neat criss-cross. Brush with oil and set aside while you heat the barbecue or griddle until ready to cook.
• Mix together 2 tsp sea salt, Chinese five-spice and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle on both sides of the squid just before cooking, according to taste. You may not need it all. Heat the griddle pan to hot and cook about 1 min each side, until it starts to curl. Remove with tongs to a serving plate and drizzle with a little sesame oil. To serve, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with small bowls of sweet chilli sauce to dip into.

SALT AND PEPPER SQUID

Steps:

• First prepare your squid. Rinse it well in cold water. Cut the tentacles off using one cut, keeping about a 1/4 inch of the hood in order to end up with one piece of calamari that includes all the tentacles. If you're using larger squid, you can cut these pieces lengthwise in half in order to make them bite-sized. Having each piece be roughly the same size is important for achieving the same cooking time for each piece of calamari. Drain the squid pieces in a colander and transfer to a bowl.
• Marinate the squid in the shaoxing wine and sesame oil. Toss gently and set aside.
• In a medium deep pot, add enough oil so that the level of oil reaches 4 inches up the side of the pot. Heat the oil until the temperature reaches 325 degrees.
• While you're waiting for the oil to heat, prepare your dry mixture. Combine the all-purpose flour, semolina flour, cornmeal, salt, and white pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• When the oil reaches temperature, you're ready to start dredging your squid. Work in batches of small fistfuls of calamari. Gently squeeze off any liquid and dredge the squid in the dry mixture.
• Using a long-handled sieve or slotted spoon, lower the calamari into the hot oil. Gently move the calamari pieces back and forth. Let them fry until golden brown, about 2-2 1/2 minutes. Remove all the calamari and let drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Taste one piece of calamari for saltiness (be careful, it's hot). You can sprinkle more salt immediately after frying to your taste. A necessary step, however, is to crack some fresh white pepper over the freshly fried squid. Continue frying in these small batches and seasoning with white pepper until you've fried all the squid.
• Now the next phase: stir-frying the fried squid. Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the ginger and let it fry in the oil. After about 20 seconds, add the garlic. Stir the garlic around the wok quickly in order to prevent burning. When the garlic gets lightly golden in color, add the peppers. Continue to stir fry for another 30 seconds.
• Add the squid to the wok and stir fry quickly in the aromatic mixture for about a minute or so. Plate and serve immediately with white rice! And don't leave those crispy pieces of garlic and pepper behind!

SALT & PEPPER SQUID

Steps:

• Pick the mint leaves into a small bowl of cold water to ensure they stay super-fresh.
• Trim the spring onions and halve across the middle, then finely slice lengthways and add to the water bowl.
• Pat the squid dry with kitchen paper, then use a regular eating knife to lightly score the inside of the squid at ½cm intervals at an angle. Turn the squid through 90° and do the same again to create a criss-cross pattern.
• When you're ready to cook, just under half fill a large sturdy pan with oil - the oil should be 8cm deep, but never fill your pan more than half full - and place on a medium-high heat. Use a thermometer to tell when it's ready (170°C), or add a piece of potato and wait until it turns golden - that's the sign that it's ready to go.
• While it heats, tip 1 heaped tablespoon of white pepper and the flour into a large bowl with a pinch of sea salt. Add the squid, toss and mix together to coat, then leave in the flour for a few minutes while you prick the chillies - if some are bigger, halve and deseed them first - then peel and finely slice the garlic 1mm thick, ideally on a mandolin (use the guard!).
• When you're ready to fry, add half the squid and chillies - it's important to cook in two batches so you don't overcrowd the pan. When it's all looking golden and lovely (after about 1½ minutes), add half the garlic for a final minute.
• Use a slotted spoon to scoop everything into a bowl or pan lined with kitchen paper to drain while you cook the second batch.
• Whip out the paper, then cut the squid into bite-sized pieces and return to the bowl. Drizzle with the vinegar, add a good pinch of seasoning, the drained mint leaves and spring onion curls, toss it all together and serve right away.

SALT & PEPPER SQUID

Steps:

• To make the dipping sauce, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved, then set aside. Mix the cornflour and plain flour with both peppers and 2 tsp sea salt in a large bowl, then set aside. Line a tray with kitchen paper and make sure you have more salt to sprinkle with.
• Heat about 7cm of oil to 180C in a deep fryer, wok or deep pan. If you don't have a thermometer, you can test it with a cube of bread - it should brown in 20 secs. Coat the squid well with the flour mix and fry in batches for about 2 mins each or until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to lift out the squid, then drain on the kitchen paper and sprinkle with a little more salt. Serve the squid scattered with the spring onion and chilli, with the dipping sauce on the side.

SALT AND PEPPER SQUID

Steps:

• Put the oil in a frying pan over high heat. Bash the salt and peppercorns in a mortar and pestle until a bit more than bruised but not quite pulverized, and combine this mixture in a freezer bag with cornstarch, adding the squid and tossing to coat well but not heavily.
• When the oil's very hot - not quite smoking, but nearly - fry the squid (knocking any excess cornstarch back in the bag first) in batches (about 4, probably) and cook each batch for about 1 minute or so until just crisp on the outside and still sweet and tender within. You probably won't need to turn the squid since the oil should bubble up and cook both sides at once, but do if you feel better. Remove to plates lined with a paper towel. After the squid's sat for about half a minute, remove the greasy towel - though sometimes, I dispense with this stage - squeeze lemon over and eat with your fingers, quickly.

SALT AND PEPPER SQUID WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND BELL PEPPERS

Steps:

• Heat a saute pan very hot and add the salt. Reduce the heat and saute for 3 to 5 minutes. Turn heat off and add the peppercorns. Mix and let stand. For the squid, score the squid on the inside with a criss-cross pattern then cut them into 2-inch triangles and set aside. To make the batter, slowly add cold water to the flour and baking powder to achieve a runny pancake batter. Whisk in the oil. In a fryer or wok, deep fry the squid until golden brown, season with seasoned salt and set aside on paper towels. In the same wok, drain the oil leaving 2 tablespoons and caramelize the shallots, peppers and chiles, about 4 minutes. Season and add back the squid, mix quickly.
• PLATING: On a large oval, plate the squid.
• WINE: Artesa Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, 1998, Napa

SALT AND PEPPER SQUID

Steps:

• Wash the squid tubes and slice them open to lay them flat. Run the tip of your knife along the squid pieces in a diagonal criss-cross pattern (this will help the squid curl up nicely when cooking).
• Place the squid tubes and tentacles in a mixing bowl and cover with the cornstarch, then cover the bowl with a plate or lid. Hold the bowl and lid together firmly and shake to mix well.
• After shaking, use your fingers to massage the cornstarch into the squid until each piece is separate and is as dry as possible. Add more cornstarch if necessary.
• Finely chop the garlic and chiles. Finely slice the spring onions.
• Build your own wok clock: Place your squid bowl at 12 o'clock, then arrange the garlic, chile, salt, pepper and spring onions clockwise around your plate.
• Half-fill a large pot, wok or deep-fryer with vegetable oil and heat to 180°C (350°F), or until the tip of a wooden chopstick or skewer starts to fizz after a second or so in the oil.
• Carefully add the squid pieces and deep-fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the squid pieces carefully with a slotted spoon and drain well on a plate covered with kitchen paper.
• In a separate wok, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic, chile, salt and pepper, then add the squid and toss together a few times. Transfer to a serving plate and scatter over the spring onion to finish. Serve immediately.

SALT AND PEPPER SQUID

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 200°F.
• Heat 2 inches oil in a deep 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over high heat until it registers 390°F on thermometer.
• Dredge one third of squid in one third of cornstarch, shaking off excess, then fry, stirring occasionally, until crisp and just barely beginning to turn pale golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, then transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Coat and fry remaining squid in 2 batches in same manner, returning oil to 390°F between batches. Toss squid with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

SALT & PEPPER CRISPY SQUID

Steps:

• Cut the tubes open and check that they are really clean.
• Open them up from one side and lay them with the inside surface facing up. With a really sharp knife, make slanted cuts into the flesh of the squid at 5mm intervals - only shallow, don't cut through.
• Reverse and do it from the opposite direction to make diamond shapes.
• Then cut the tubes into wide strips and toss into the flours, salt and pepper. Shake off any excess - I find a sieve works best.
• When ready to cook, heat the oil to just smoking and add half of the squid sections.
• Cook until they are a pale golden brown. Drain on paper towelling. Repeat with the remaining squid.
• For the sauce, combine the rest of the ingredients.
• To serve, pile the squid into a shallow serving plate and pour over half of the dessing.
• Serve the rest of the dressing separately.

MEL'S SALT & PEPPER SQUID

Steps:

• Dry roast spices (salt, both types of peppercorns and chilli) in a pan over a low heat until salt starts to turn golden and spices fragrant.
• Place into a mortar and pestle and cool.
• Once cool, grind with the mortar and pestle to a fine consistency.
• Mix through the rice flour (tempura batter/ flour).
• Heat oil in a wok or saucepan to 180 degrees Celsius (a sugar thermometer is the safest and best way to check your temperature).
• Cut squid into thin strips (or score lightly with knife and cut into larger pieces).
• Dust lightly in the flour mix and cook a small batch at a time to retain the heat in the wok to give your squid crunch.
• Drain on absorbent paper and place onto your plate.
• To Serve Sprinkle some chopped coriander over the top, a bit more salt if you wish and add some lime wedges.
• Great with an Asian beer!
• I hope that you give it a try'cause it's not stringy and not too fishy- it ends up really tender.