Salt and Pepper Squid

I used to be a squid snob and only use fresh squid that I painstakingly cleaned myself. Then my beautiful mate Missy Helgs cooked some frozen squid for me. I was amazed at how tender and delicious it was. These days I’m happy to use the far less messy frozen option. It’s a great thing to have on hand in the freezer for the last-minute seafood dinner – one of those things that tastes and feels way more exotic than it actually is.

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Salt and Pepper Squid

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 2 large squid tubes
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 large handfuls mixed salad leaves

Instructions

• Prepare the squid by ‘scoring’ or lightly cutting in a diagonal pattern without cutting all the way through.
• Whisk together lemon juice, mustard and 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Season.
• Put flour in a plastic bag and season with a tablespoon freshly ground pepper and some sea salt flakes.
• Preheat a large frying pan or skillet with a thin layer of peanut or other frying oil.
• Toss squid in the flour and shake to remove any excess.
• Shallow fry until golden-brown on both sides.
• Serve with leaves and the mustard dressing on the side.

Variations

vegan/vegetarian – try salt and pepper tofu. Replace the squid with firm tofu, finely sliced into bite-sized pieces.

carnivore – use finely sliced chicken breast (about 400g) instead of the squid and skip the scoring step.

chilli – toss in 1-2 teaspoons of dried chilli flakes or powder with the flour.

short on time – skip the dressing and serve with a good quality whole-egg mayonnaise and lemon wedges instead.

gluten free – use a corn- or rice-based flour instead.