Pic of Salt and Pepper Squid

Salt and Pepper Squid

Show ingredients

Fish

Salt and Pepper Squid

Serves 2 30 min
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

Prep time: 10 min
Cooking time: 20 min

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Step 3

    In a deep saucepan, heat 2 inches of sunflower oil to 190°C.

  • 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.

  • Step 5

    Remove everything with a slotted spoon and serve immediately with wedges of lemon for squeezing.