# Salt 'n Pepper Squid. Japaneese style.



## Y-Knot (Sep 26, 2006)

Gave the chef, building i work in, a squid i'd caught earlier today to cook up for my lunch, it was superb. Apparently its japanese style, something to do with using cornflour (pretty sure thats what he said anyway :roll: )
But if you like a thick smoothering batter on ya calamari - dont bother with this receipe.

Cut squid into Calamari rings

Combine -
-cornflour 
-soda water
-salt / pepper (good amount of pepper)
-lemon juice
Mix well

Do not flour calamari prior to dipping into batter mix
Dip rings into mixture - only a very light coating essential 
Deep fry 20 - 30 seconds only or Pan fry slightly longer .... ENJOY

Unfortunatly ive no idea on quanties of mixing ingrediants... quite sure he said it was a very runny mixture.


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## xerubus (May 17, 2007)

yum!


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## fishnyak (Feb 1, 2008)

Damn that sounds good. 
Whos up for some squid fishing in Melbourne?


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## FHM (Mar 21, 2008)

thats sound delicious, I have a dish similar but chinese style where the calamari ring was deep dried a few seconds then touch into a wok then add rock salt, pepper and chilli and toss them all around 20-30 secs and thats it. They taste great.


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## bream88 (Dec 29, 2009)

also taste very nice on shark i tried it


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## granpop (Mar 23, 2007)

Yummm - hope to try it as I pass thru SA this trip.

Talking to a Fisheries Chef - squid and occy are cooked the same - hot and fast OR slow and LOOOONG.

Had a recipe somewhere for an italian occy, cooked inthe crock pot. It was GREAT ,but I have mislaid it.

Dave


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## Ranger (May 31, 2008)

Squid is one of my favourite seafoods.

I would agree, the secret with squid is to get it fresh and cook it on a high heat very very quickly. It only takes a few seconds to cook, so cook it in small batches so it doesn't reduce the pan heat, and be on your toes to get it out as soon as it starts to turn a golden colour.

When making Salt & Pepper Squid I have two different recipes, but for both I use a 1:1 combination of corn flour and rice flour. Using rice flour in the mix just makes it a little bit lighter and less floury/doughy.

I don't wish to take anything away from your recipe, but just for variation, here is my own favourite asian style recipe. It's really simple, and the beauty of this one is that it doesn't use a batter mix at all, but instead just a dusting with the dry mixture, which makes it fast, mess free and healthier, as it wont suck up as much oil as with a batter.

Salt and pepper squid
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Serves 4

600g squid or calamari
2 Tbsp sea-salt flakes
1 tsp ground white pepper
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
¼ cup cornflour
¼ cup rice flour
Vegetable oil, for deep frying

STEP 1 Gently pull the head and tentacles away from the squid's body and discard intestines. Cut tentacles just below the eyes. Reserve tentacles and discard head. Remove quill (transparent cartilage) from inside the body. Remove the skin by holding the body firmly with on hand. Pull skin firmly with the other hand, removing the wings with the skin. Discard the skin and wings.

STEP 2 Rinse the body and tentacles in cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Using a sharp knife, the squid body can be cut into rings or prepared in the honeycomb style, if desired. For the honeycomb style, cut the body open and, using a small sharp knife, score a shallow crisscross pattern on the inside surface of the squid. Cut the body in half and then into 5cm-long diagonal strips. The tentacles can be left whole or, if large, cut in half or quarters.

STEP 3 Combine sea salt, pepper, chilli flakes and Chinese five-spice powder in a small bowl. Put the cornflour and plain flour in a medium mixing bowl. Add half of the salt mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add the prepared squid body and tentacles to the flour mixture and toss until coated. Scrunch a piece of baking paper and put on a large plate.

STEP 4 Fill a heave-based pan with oil to one-third full and heat over a medium-high heat. Drop a quarter teaspoon of cornflour mixture into hot oil. If it sizzles immediately, the oil is ready. Dust off excess flour from the squid and cook, in 3-4 batches, in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, put on the prepared baking paper and sprinkle over remaining salt mixture. Serve immediately.

Cook's tips:
•The combination of spices can be varied to suit your taste. For a hotter flavour, increase the chilli flakes and pepper, or decrease for a milder version. To give a fresh finish to the squid, sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander or flat-leaf parsley just before serving.

My other recipe uses egg whites instead of a traditional Tempura style batter:
Salt And Pepper Squid
Serves 6

1kg squid Tubes, halved lengthways
150g rice flour 
100g cornflour
1 tablespoon salt flakes
2 tablespoon ground white pepper
2 teaspoons castor sugar
4 egg whites, lightly beaten
Oil, for deep-frying (approx 2 litres)
Lemon or lime wedges, for serving

Method:
Open out the squid tubes, wash and pat dry. Lay on a chopping board with the inside facing upwards. Score a fine diamond pattern on the squid, being careful not to cut all the way through. Cut into pieces about 5 x 3 cm. alternatively, keep the tubes whole and slice into rings or cut open as above and slice into strips.

Combine the rice flour, cornflour, salt, white pepper and sugar in a bowl. Dip the squid into the egg white and then into the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.

Fill a deep-fat fryer or large saucepan one-third full of oil and heat to 180C (350F), or until a small cube of white bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown in 15 seconds. Cook batches of the squid for 1-2 minutes, or until the flesh turns white and curls. Drain on paper towels. Serve with lemon wedges.


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## metalminion (Mar 13, 2010)

Well all of those recipes sound excellent. Sure have me watering at the mouth :lol: Now I just have to go and catch some squid  YUM!


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## RangiRocks (Mar 19, 2009)

Great timing

The bay sems to be full of squid at the moment


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## metalminion (Mar 13, 2010)

nice catch mate  share some?? haha just kidding


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## scoobydoo (May 29, 2009)

yummm!


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## lovefishin (Sep 8, 2008)

cant wait to try it!! yum!!


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## Lachy (Nov 22, 2010)

I'm just gonna put it out there...
If i coat my seafood, marinate it or whatever..
The marinate, or seasoning, flavouring whatever, has to be THICK! 
STRONG flavours like seafood and thick coatings make me melt a little bit.  :lol:


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