Spicy Calamari And Cucumber Salad With Spiced Yogurt Sauce Recipes

CRUNCHY CALAMARI SALAD

Steps:

• Slice the squid into thin rings and coarsely chop the tentacles. Preheat an oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees. Bring two quarts of water to a boil.
• When the water is boiling, add the juice of half a lemon and season it with a teaspoon of salt. Add the squid and stir and when the water returns to a boil, drain the squid and allow it to cool to room temperature.
• Spread the bread on a baking sheet, place in the oven and bake until the bread has dried out and turned lightly golden.
• Heat the oil in a heavy skillet, stir in the garlic, remove from the heat immediately, pour the oil and garlic over toasted bread, stirring well.
• Place the squid in a serving bowl and toss with the remaining lemon juice. Fold in the tomatoes, onion, parsley and hot red pepper to taste. Just before serving, fold in the toasted bread along with any oil and garlic in the pan. Season to taste with salt and serve.

SPICY CUCUMBERS WITH YOGURT, LEMON AND HERBS

Steps:

• Toss the cucumber pieces with 1 teaspoon salt and set in a colander in the sink to drain.
• In a small pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the coriander and cumin, and toast until fragrant, stirring to avoid scorching, about 1 minute. Remove oil from heat, add red-pepper flakes and allow to cool.
• In a medium bowl, toss the salted cucumber pieces with the scallions, spiced oil and apple cider vinegar. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or overnight while you prepare the yogurt.
• In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, half of the herbs (mint, dill and parsley), zest and juice of the lemon and the olive oil. Stir to incorporate, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Spread the yogurt mixture on a plate or the bottom of a shallow bowl. Using a slotted spoon to drain the cucumbers and scallions of excess liquid, evenly place the cucumbers and scallions on top of the yogurt. Finish with the remaining chopped herbs and pine nuts (if using), and serve immediately.

SPICY YOGURT DRESSING

Steps:

• In a small serving bowl, stir together the cilantro, lemon juice, cumin, yogurt and chili sauce. Chill for at least one hour, or until needed.

SPICY SQUID SALAD WITH CUCUMBER AND CAPERS

Steps:

• Add the squid to a non-metallic bowl with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the garlic, chile, and toss to coat the squid. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and leave it in the refrigerator to marinate for 2 to 3 hours.
• Heat a large frying pan over high heat. Remove the squid from the marinade, and discard the marinade. Add the squid strips, and cook until it is just cooked, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Take care not to overcook the squid or it will become tough.
• Combine the cucumber, tomatoes, celery, celery leaves and basil in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and lemon juice, and season the mixture with the sea salt and black pepper. Set the dressing aside.
• Add the squid to the vegetables and toss well. Pile the salad onto a large platter, garnish with the capers and drizzle with the lemon dressing. Serve the salad immediately.

SPICY CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• Slice the cucumber in half lengthways and use a teaspoon to scoop out the seeds. Slice cucumber into thick diagonal chunks. Tip it into a bowl and sprinkle with the sugar, vinegar and large pinch of salt. Leave for about 30 mins in the fridge. Meanwhile, tip the other salad ingredients into a bowl. Drain the cucumber and tip in with the rest of the ingredients.
• Heat a griddle pan or heavy-bottomed frying pan until hot, but not smoking. Rub the chicken with oil, season with salt and pepper and sear, skin-side down, for about 8 mins until the skin is crisp and brown and the chicken is practically cooked. Flip the chicken over and give it a few mins more on the flesh side to finish it off. Leave the chicken to rest, then slice each breast on an angle and serve with a pile of cucumber salad.

THAI-STYLE SQUID AND CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk lime juice, garlic, fish sauce, brown sugar, 1/4 cup oil, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Add cucumber, chiles, and peanuts and toss to coat. Set aside.
• Make sure squid is as dry as possible, then toss with remaining 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Separate bodies from tentacles.
• Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large cast-iron skillet until smoking. Sear half of the tentacles (don't try to do more than half-you don't want to crowd the pan), turning once halfway through, until lightly charred and opaque, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining tentacles, adding more oil if needed. Add a little more oil, then sear half of the bodies, turning once and picking up with tongs so that any liquid that has accumulated inside bodies can pour off into skillet and evaporate, until lightly charred and opaque, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to plate with cooked tentacles. Repeat with remaining bodies. Thinly slice bodies, then transfer squid to bowl with cucumber mixture and toss to coat.
• Arrange salad on a platter and drizzle remaining dressing over. Top with cilantro sprigs. Serve with rice alongside, if using.

CRISP & SPICY CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, mix marinade ingredients, stirring to dissolve sugar. Pour over vegetables; toss to combine. Refrigerate, covered, 30 minutes or overnight., Serve with a slotted spoon. Top as desired.

SALT AND PEPPER SQUID OR CALAMARI WITH CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• Cut squid hoods along one side and open out. Using a small sharp knife, score inside of hoods in a diagonal pattern, without cutting all the way through. This will allow the squid to curl during cooking. Cut each squid hood into eight pieces.
• Sprinkle squid with combined pepper, salt and lemon pepper seasoning.
• Heat oil in wok or large frying pan, stir-fry squid in batches until curled and just cooked through. Serve squid with cucumber salad.
• Cucumber Salad: Combine cucumber, onion, tomato, nuts and mint in medium bowl. Add combined vinegar and oil, toss to combine.

SPICY CALAMARI SALAD

Steps:

• Mix and toss all chopped ingredients except the calamari.
• Layer fried calamari on the salad.
• Serve and enjoy!

SPICY CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• Wash cucumbers and pat dry. Pound them lightly all over with a kitchen mallet.
• Trim off the ends. Peel and cut cucumbers lengthwise into quarters.
• Cut or scrape away seeds.
• Cut each cucumber strip into 1 1/2-inch lengths. Trim corners of each piece to make them neater. Put pieces in a bowl and add remaining ingredients. Chill and serve.