Cooked quickly, fresh squid makes a tasty and tender dish for cooks in a hurry.
I wish I had a romantic story to tell about eating squid, of how I once watched fishermen beat and then massage their catch 60 times against the rough stone of the breakwater until the squid frothed. Of how the tough tubes were then transformed into a dish of delicate beauty. Or of how I watched a squid being kneaded by an elderly Japanese chef, by hand, using only the end of a daikon radish, until the outer membrane was removed, leaving the squid so meltingly tender you could eat it raw. But unfortunately I don’t.
Instead my early experiences were restricted to deep-frying packet after packet of “lightly crumbed”, identical rings of processed fishmeal containing just enough squid (also known as calamari) to satisfy legal content requirements. It always amazed me (and eventually filled me with sadness) that guests would come into my kitchen, shake my hand and thank me for the most amazing squid they had ever eaten.
Later I worked for an Italian chef, who, famous for his pan-fried calamari with onions, would have me spend a 10-hour shift cleaning fresh whole squid, gutting them, carefully removing the transparent shields, the ink sacs and tentacles, and then scouring the tubes to remove the membranes. Once rinsed, these cleaned tubes and tentacles were then transformed into the most gorgeous of dishes.
Fresh squid should smell sweet. If you cannot find fresh whole squid, or you prefer not to have to clean it, then buy frozen tubes and defrost them in the refrigerator.
Squid should be cooked either very quickly (2-5 minutes) or very slowly. Anything else will result in a tough, unyielding dish and an unpleasant experience.
The following recipes require the squid to be cooked quickly, so have everything else ready before you begin. You will be eating within 20 minutes.
There is something rather wonderful and uplifting about this meal.
Chilli Salt Squid with Grilled Lemons and Coriander Salad
chilli salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 star anise
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 cardamom pod
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
Place all ingredients in a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle, and grind to a fine powder. This can be stored in a jar and used when required.
Dressing
juice of one lemon
juice of one lime
2 tbsp palm sugar, grated
2 tbsp olive oil
In a bowl whisk together the citrus juices with the palm sugar until it has dissolved. Add the olive oil and set to one side.
Salad
2 lemons, cut into thick slices
salt to taste
olive oil, to cook the lemons in
½ cup of mint leaves
½ cup coriander leaves
6-8 basil leaves
1 medium red onion
½ telegraph cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 red capsicum, seeded
Carefully remove the seeds from the lemon slices and sprinkle them with salt. Leave for as long as you can, while you prepare everything else.
Heat a frying pan until it is very hot and splash the lemons with olive oil. Place them in the pan and cook until well browned on both sides.
Place the herbs in a mixing bowl. Finely slice the onion, cucumber, capsicum and gently combine with the herbs. Set to one side.
Squid
500ml vegetable oil
500g cleaned squid
1 cup of flour
Heat the oil in a deep saucepan or deep fryer over a medium heat. Score the squid lightly with a knife, making a crosshatched pattern. Set to one side, drying them on kitchen paper. Dust well in the flour, making sure all the squid is completely coated. Shake off any excess flour and fry in small batches to a light golden brown.
Drain on absorbent paper and then tip the squid into a mixing bowl and season with the chilli salt. Add to the salad ingredients and toss lightly with the dressing. Mound a pile of salad on each plate and serve, with the grilled lemons on the side.
Serves 4.
Make the Nam Jim dressing a few days ahead, and keep it in the refrigerator as it benefits from sitting for a while.
The dressing is a terrific accompaniment for most grilled meats and fish.
Seared Squid with Mushrooms, Bok Choy and Nam Jim Dressing
Nam Jim Dressing
5 red chillies, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 coriander roots, chopped
2 tbsp palm sugar, grated
1 cup lemon juice
3 tbsp fish sauce
Place the chillies, onion, garlic and coriander roots into a food processor and purée to a fine paste.
Add the palm sugar and the lemon juice and blend until well incorporated and add the fish sauce. The dressing should have a pleasant balance of sweet, sour and salty tastes.
Squid
500g cleaned squid
4 heads of bok choy, washed
3 tbsp vegetable oil
200g mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 cloves garlic
2 red chillies, seeded and chopped
3 tbsp nam jim dressing
1 tbsp basil leaves
black sesame seeds
Slice the squid into rings ½ cm thick, and dry them on kitchen paper.
While you are doing this bring a pot of salted water to the boil and plunge the bok choy into it and cook for 4 minutes. Drain through a sieve and run the bok choy under cold water until cool. Slice each bok choy into 4 and place onto a piece of absorbent paper. Then heat a wok or deep frying pan until hot and add the vegetable oil. Add the mushrooms, garlic and chillies and fry for a few seconds. Add the squid and quickly stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the bok choy, nam jim dressing and the basil leaves, and gently stir everything together in the pan. Serve, garnished with the black sesame seeds.
Serves 4.
For such a few ingredients, the flavours in this dish are outstanding. Don’t burn the garlic or it will make the dish taste bitter.
Squid with Fettuccine, Garlic and Chilli
400g dried spaghetti or fettuccine
4 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
300g squid, cleaned
1 lemon, for the juice
½ cup Italian parsley leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions until it is just done. Meanwhile, dry the squid and cut into ½ cm thick slices. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan, then add the garlic and the chillies. Cook for a minute or so over a medium heat until fragrant and the garlic is a nicely toasted golden brown colour. Turn up the heat and add the squid to the pan and leave to cook without stirring for 1-2 minutes, then stir the contents of the pan around. Squeeze the lemon juice over the squid and season with the salt and pepper. Add the parsley. Drain the pasta and immediately tip it into the frying pan, adding the olive oil. Toss to combine and serve at once.
Serves 4.