Salt and Pepper Squid
A pub classic - squid fried with a salt and pepper coating.
Equipment
- 1 large pot or wok suitable for deep frying.
- 1 spider or skimmer or other utensil capable of retrieving the squid from the hot oil
Ingredients
- 500 grams (1.1 lbs) squid/calamari tubes (note 1)
- ¼ cup plain flour
- ¾ cup cornflour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp FRESHLY ground black pepper
- 2 eggs whisked
- 2-3 litres (2-3 quarts) oil canola, vegetable, sunflower, peanut (note 2)
Instructions
- With a sharp knife, score the squid in a criss-cross pattern going a few millimetres deep, be careful to not cut through the squid. Then cut the squid into large bite sized pieces.
- Beat 2 eggs into a medium sized bowl. Add squid to beaten egg and mix well.
- In a large bowl add both flours, salt, pepper and mix well. Take each piece of squid from the egg, letting the excess egg drip away, then thoroughly coat in the flour mix. Do this for all squid pieces.
- In your wok or large pot, add your oil until it fills only HALF way up. Do not overfill the pot more than this. Heat to 180℃/355℉. Shaking the excess flour off the squid, add - at most, half of the squid to the hot oil and cook for no longer than 2-3 minutes, any longer than this and you squid can become very tough. You may need to cook it in 3 or more batches, depending on the size of your cooking vessel. Cook the rest of the batches of squid.
- Immediately after the squid leaves the hot oil, place onto a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle it with more salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot with golden fried chips/fries, a wedge of lemon and a nice garlic aioli for dipping.
Notes
NOTE 1 - Fresh squid/calamari is best, however if you can only find frozen that is okay, just dry the squid well with paper towel prior to it being added to the egg mixture.
NOTE 2 - Canola, Sunflower, Vegetable or Peanut oil is recommended for use as it has a high smoke point (means it can be used at high temperatures). DO NOT use extra virgin olive oil for this, it cannot go that hot and tastes awful when heated to such temperatures.