Simple Salt & Pepper Calamari –  non-fiddley squiddley – By Anthony Davies

Ever had one of those calm, moonless nights when the squid were plentiful and keen to come to the jig, but the reds just wouldn’t live up to their part of the bargain?  If it looks like you’re going home with nothing but half a bucket of fresh squid this easy recipe will still put a tasty feed on the table.

I figured this lovely supermarket southern calamari would make things bigger and easier to see.

Ingredients

Quantities for 2, increase accordingly for more diners:

One large Southern Calamari, about 900g, or four or five of our 30cm Northern squid.

Half a cup of plain flour, Gluten Free works fine if required.

Plenty of salt and pepper for seasoning.

Large plastic zip seal bag for tossing.

Oil for cooking. I always cook seafood in Aussie extra virgin olive oil. I know you’re supposed to use peanut or canola for fish, ‘cos olive oil has a lower burning point. Maybe I take it easier with the temperature than most, or maybe it’s something to do with our lighter Australian olive oils, but I don’t burn fish, and for me the flavour and health benefits of olive oil outweigh any possible disadvantages.

Lemon wedges to serve.

Cut up rings and tentacles ready for flouring.

Method

Cut the head off the squid and tear the pair of wings or arrow flaps off the point of the hood. They are a little chewy when cooked, but they make good picker proof bait if you save ’em. The skin should mostly tear off with the flaps. Cut off the first couple of cm of the hood point, it’s too small for rings and it will make it easier to get the guts out. The guts and the clear plastic-like “pen” should come out easily as you run a couple of fingers round inside the tube. The pen is the equivalent of the cuttlefish’s cuttlebone, a last remnant of the time eons past when cephalopods like squid lived in a shell.

Cut the tube into rings of about pencil thickness. Discard the last ring down at the head end, it contains sinew that makes it tough. As you do this, check the rings for any bits of adhering guts or roe, squid are very clean animals so this isn’t unpleasant. If you’re adventurous the tentacles are the tastiest bit. I prepared them individually on the whopper pictured, you can cut off the whole tentacle ring below the eyes and cook it in one piece with our small local squid. Don’t forget to remove the hard beak from the centre of the ring.

Drop the pieces into the seasoned flour a few at a time. They don’t need milk or beaten egg.

At this point most recipes talk about dipping the squid rings into milk or beaten egg before dusting in flour. I find that fresh squid is more than sticky enough, so I don’t bother.

Pour the flour into the plastic bag and season to taste with salt and pepper. Be fairly generous with the seasoning, most of it is going to fall off.  Zip the bag closed and give a good shake to mix, then add the squid pieces a few at a time, closing the bag and shaking well each time till the rings and tentacles are all well coated with the seasoned flour.

Preheat a large non stick frypan to a gentle medium heat. Pour in oil until the bottom is just covered. Once the oil is just sizzling hot start adding the seasoned squid pieces. About 3 to 4 minutes each side will be plenty, overcooked squid is chewy. Drain on paper towels and serve with chips, salad and plenty of lemon wedges. If you’re as lazy as me, potato salad works well too.

Shallow fry on gentle medium heat about 3-4 minutes a side.