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Susan Jung

Some people are familiar with squid only through its incarnation as bar food - mass-produced, heavily breaded frozen 'rings', which   cooks  simply drop into a deep-fat fryer for a few minutes, then serve with a mayonnaise-type sauce and some lemon wedges. When prepared properly, squid  is much better than these deep-fried rubber bands.

Whole squid are sold at wet markets and are easy to clean.  But if you're at all squeamish, you  can purchase it already cleaned from the supermarket.

Stuffed squid (pictured)

1kg medium-sized squid (with bodies measuring about 6-8cm)

450 grams minced pork

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 spring onions, diced

A small handful fresh coriander, chopped

20ml Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce

? tsp sugar

? tsp ground black pepper

For the sauce:

90ml Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce

1-2 medium garlic cloves

1-2 Thai red chillies

About 40ml fresh lime juice

About 15 grams sugar

Bottled still water

Fresh whole coriander leaves

Clean the squid by pulling the tentacles from the body - this will pull out most of the innards. Use your fingers to pull out the quill and scoop out any remaining innards left in the body. Rub the outside of the body with your fingers to loosen the purplish skin and pull it off. Rinse the body inside and out with running water. Repeat with the remaining squid then pat the bodies dry - inside and out - with paper towels. Cut the face from the tentacles. Finely chop the tentacles and mix them with the pork, garlic, spring onions and fresh coriander. Add the fish sauce, sugar and pepper and mix vigorously for several minutes. Loosely stuff the squid bodies with the meat mixture and thread a toothpick through the opening to close it. Heat water in the bottom of a two-tiered steamer. Place the stuffed squid in a dish that holds them in one layer. Steam the squid for about 10 minutes, or until the meat mixture is cooked through. Cool slightly before cutting into rings. For the sauce,  combine the fish sauce, garlic, chilli and coriander and add lime juice and sugar to taste. Dilute to taste with about 60ml of cold bottled water. Serve in individual dipping bowls with the squid.

Any remaining stuffing can be placed in a bowl and steamed separately.

Grilled baby squid

I was unaware it was possible to eat almost the entire squid - skin, innards (including ink sac) and all - until I tasted them this way at a seafood restaurant in Roses, Spain. The only inedible part is the quill; the beak is so small it's just a slight crunch. If you can't find  tiny squid (about 2.5cm long, from tentacles to tip),  use larger squid but clean and skin them as in the first recipe, then cut open the bodies (so they lie flat) before grilling them. You'll have to use a spatula or other light weights to hold them flat on the grill, or they'll curl.

500 grams baby squid (or 1kg larger squid)

60ml olive oil

1-2 large garlic cloves, minced

30ml fresh lemon juice

Large flaked sea salt

Lemon wedges, for serving

Toss the squid (whole ones if using baby squid, tentacles and cleaned bodies if using larger squid) with the olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. Grill over hot coals, turning occasionally, for about five minutes if using whole squid and about three minutes for squid pieces. They should be slightly charred on the outside. Sprinkle immediately with sea salt and serve with lemon wedges.

Squid with celery and black beans

1kg medium-sized fresh squid

30ml cooking oil

2-3 celery stalks

1 small onion

2 medium garlic cloves, sliced

2 peeled slices of ginger, about 3cm across

20ml soy sauce

10ml rice wine

1 tbsp Chinese preserved black beans

A pinch of ground white pepper

2 spring onions, cut in 3cm lengths

1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water

10ml sesame oil

Clean and skin the squid, as in the first recipe. Cut the bodies open. Use a sharp paring knife to score the bodies in a crisscross pattern, taking care not to cut all the way through the flesh. If the squid bodies are large, cut them in two pieces.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add about half the squid pieces (bodies and tentacles) to the water and blanch for 10 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the squid from the water and drain them in a colander. Blanch the remaining squid.

Soak the black beans in about 45ml of warm water for 15 minutes. Drain then roughly mash the beans. Cut the onion in bite-sized pieces. Slice the celery on the diagonal into pieces about 5mm thick. In a wok, heat 30ml cooking oil until very hot. Add the onion and celery and stir-fry for about one minute. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about 15 seconds or until fragrant. Add the blanched, drained squid, the soy sauce, rice wine, black beans and a pinch of white pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, for one minute. Stir in the spring onions and cook for 15 seconds, then stir in the cornstarch and water. As soon as the liquid thickens, stir in the sesame oil. Transfer to a plate and serve immediately.

styling Rachael Macchiesi



Squid's in