Salt and Pepper Squid

This westernized Asian appetizer is packed full of punchy flavor that is sure to please! Our simple Salt and Pepper Squid recipe is loaded with spice and yet is so balanced that everyone will enjoy its pleasant flavors. The Squid is lightly coated in Flour and then fried until golden-brown and tender. The seasoning is a beautiful combination of Black Peppercorns, Szechuan Peppercorns, and, of course, Salt! We finish this wonderful appetizer off with a delicious topping mixture of Garlic, Chili, and Scallions for a delicious flavor, texture, and appearance. It’s a simple dish to make, showcasing the versatility and amazing flavors of the Squid

How to Prepare Squid for Frying

Squid is a wonderfully versatile protein and offers a light alternative to other popular Seafood ingredients. For a classic Salt and Pepper Squid you can use both the fleshy head of the Squid as well as the tentacles. In fact, if you can get a whole Squid we highly recommend using both. The contrasting textures if the different parts of the Squid work great in this dish

I would highly recommend asking your Fish Monger to prepare the Squid for you. You can do it at home yourself, but it’s much easier to get them to do it for you. There will be less waste, and it’ll save you a lot of time! There’s some membrane that needs to be removed, some guts, and a cartilage / bone that also needs to be discarded

Once you’ve got your Squid, you want to cut the flesh into large bite-sized pieces. They don’t need to be uniform shapes or anything, just get them cut up so they will be easy to cook evenly. The next step is very important: you must score the Squid pieces with a sharp knife. Make some diagonal diamond-shaped cuts in the flesh of the Squid. Just cut through lightly and avoid cutting through completely

Scoring the Squid will help the Squid to cook more evenly and be more tender. Squid can notoriously be a tough protein to cook, but that only happens if the flesh isn’t scored, and it is overcooked. Simply score the skin and avoid overcooking it and you’ll have a delicious, tender fried Squid to enjoy!

Use a Mortar and Pestle to grind the Peppercorns

The Squid is coated in a wonderfully spiced Peppercorn mixture before being breaded and fried. We use a combination of Black Peppercorns and Szechuan Peppercorns for our Salt and Pepper Squid. This gives a wonderful ‘tingly’ flavor to the dish, along with that rich, spicy flavor from the Black Peppercorns

Simply add about 1 tbsp. each of Black and Szechuan Peppercorns to a Mortar and Pestle and grind them up until a smooth powder forms. You want the Peppercorns to be ground relatively fine, as this will help them coat the Squid evenly. Once done, add some Salt and then coat the Squid using about half the mixture. The remaining Peppercorn mixture is used at the end of the dish for our seasoning / topping

You can shallow fry or deep fry the Squid

This step is up to you. Personally, I prefer to deep fry the Squid in a saucepan filled with Neutral Oil. Ensuring the Squid is completely submerged in Oil will guarantee an even cook, and keep the coating completely covering the Squid

It does require a bit more Oil to do so. Just fill enough Oil in a Saucepan so that the Squid will be submerged and heat it to around 350F. Once hot, carefully drop in the Squid and cook for 1 minute until a light golden-brown color. Remove it with a spider strainer and set aside on a raised wire rack to remove any excess Oil

To shallow fry you will need much less Oil. Just add about ½ cup of Oil into a frying pan and heat over medium high heat. Once hot, drop the Squid in and cook, while stirring frequently. Just be careful to not aggressively stir the Squid as the coating may come off. Same as the deep frying approach, once cooked, remove and set on a wire rack to remove excess Oil

Adding Garlic, Chili, and Scallions gives the Salt and Pepper Squid a wonderful flavor and fragrance

To finish the dish, use a little bit of the frying oil and heat it up in a large frying pan over high heat. Once hot, add in some freshly diced Garlic, Red Chili (include the seeds!), and finely diced Scallions. Pan from them for about 30 seconds and then return the Squid to the pan

Along with the Squid, add the remaining Salt and Pepper mixture and give everything a nice coating. After another 30 seconds, the dish will be done! Scoop that amazing Salt and Pepper Squid into some bowls or plates and serve immediately!

The addition of the aromatics and spices at the end will truly set this dish over the edge in terms of flavor. Even though the Squid is loaded with flavor from that Peppercorn mixture, the Garlic and Chili completely round out the dish. Scallions bring a bit more texture and color to the plate, completing this wonderful dish

Salt and Pepper Squid Recipe

Ingredients

• 300g Squid, cleaned
• ½ cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 tbsp. Corn Starch
• 1 tbsp. Peppercorns
• 1 tbsp. Szechuan Peppercorns
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 Red Chili, finely sliced
• 3 Garlic Cloves, peeled and diced
• ½ cup of Scallions, finely sliced
  
  

Instructions

1. Grind the Black and Szechuan Peppercorns in a Mortar and Pestle until smooth then add Salt and mix well
2. Cut the Squid into bite-sized pieces and then score one side with a sharp knife (avoid cutting through all the way)
3. Combine the AP Flour and Corn Starch together with a pinch of Salt in a small bowl and mix well.
4. Coat the Squid with about half of the Peppercorn mixture, then coat in the Flour mixture
5. Add Oil to a saucepan, ensuring enough to allow the Squid to fully submerge. Heat to 350F then add the Squid. Cook for 1 minute then remove and set aside on a wire rack to strain
6. Add a little bit of the Oil to a frying pan and set over medium high heat. Once hot, add the Chili, Garlic, and Scallions and cook for 30 seconds
7. Add the Squid and remaining Peppercorns and cook for a further 30 seconds, mixing well. Remove and serve immediately
   
   

Recipe Notes

• We recommend keeping the Chili Seeds in the dish, however you can remove them for less heat
• You can shallow fry the Squid instead of deep frying them. Just be careful when stirring the Squid to avoid removing the Flour coating
• If deep frying, be careful not to overload the pan with Squid as this will drop the Oil temperature and will result in greasy Squid. For the best result, batch cook smaller quantities of Squid
  
  

This vibrant and delicious Salt and Pepper Squid Dish is sure to become a household favorite. It’s big flavors and beautiful textures are the perfect way to showcase the amazing flavors of Squid. Give this dish a try, we know you’re going to love it!

Here are some more delicious Seafood Appetizer recipes we highly recommend that you try:

• Scallop Ceviche with Chili
• Spicy Tuna Lettuce Cups
• Crispy Tempura Shrimp
• Homemade Shrimp Toast
  
  

Happy Cooking!