Fish
Salt and pepper squid
This is a classic Chinese restaurant dish, easy to put together if you feel safe and confident deep-frying at home. The chilli, onion and garlic are crispy little garnishes that cook and crisp up in less than a minute.
Ingredients
- 400g squid
- ½ tbsp black peppercorns
- ½ tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tbsp flaked sea salt
- 25g cornflour
- 25g plain flour
- 2 red chillies, sliced
- 3 spring onions, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 lemon
Method
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Step 1
Cut open the white squid bodies and lightly score the inside flesh with a criss-cross pattern; cut them into 3cm triangle shapes. Divide the tentacles.
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Step 2
Coarsely grind the peppercorns in a pepper mill or pestle and mortar. Mix them with the salt and flours in a shallow bowl.
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Step 3
In a deep saucepan, heat 2 inches of sunflower oil to 190°C.
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Step 4
Dredge the squid in the seasoned flour and shake away the excess. Deep fry the squid for 2 minutes, until lightly coloured. Throw in the chillies, onions and garlic and fry for a final 30 seconds, or until the garlic is golden brown. You might want to do this in batches.
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Step 5
Remove everything with a slotted spoon and serve immediately with wedges of lemon for squeezing.