Spiced grilled squid with chargrilled vegetables

Recipes

chargrilled squid salad — Spiced grilled squid with chargrilled vegetables
As the squid is one shellfish that is still abundant in our seas, there is no sustainability issue with using it…so you can cook this recipe as often as you like!

Serves4

Preparation10 Mins

Cooking Time10 Mins

As the squid is one shellfish that is still abundant in our seas, there is no sustainability issue with using it…so you can cook this recipe as often as you like! Squid are remarkable creatures. They are strong swimmers, and certain species can even ‘fly’ for short distances out of the water. A fresh squid is quite a beautiful sight; it has eight arms arranged in pairs and two tentacles. Its colour is a mottled purple, but as soon as the squid is exposed to the air and light – even after just one day – the delicate colours begin to fade. What’s more, the nutritional profile of squid is nothing short of extraordinary. It has a high protein content, is high in omega 3, selenium, vitamins B6 and E and much more. And no guilt, as it is extremely low in fat! For me, squid can be cooked two ways – very quickly or very slowly. Each offers a completely different experience. The first is charred, crispy and soft inside; the other, being slow cooked, melts in the mouth with a wonderfully rich and sweet flavour.

Ingredients Required

For preparing and marinating the squid

300g / 3 medium: Squid, prepared, washed and drained

30ml 2 tbsp: Olive oil

5ml / 1 squeeze: Lemon juice

10g / 1: Red chilli (Rio Grande or Snap nose), pith and seeds removed, finely chopped

1tsp: Palm sugar, grated

10g: Coriander leaves, chopped

2g / 2 pinches: Sea salt

For the vegetables

200g / 2 large: Roma plum tomatoes, cut lengthways into eight segments

10ml / 1 tbsp: Olive oil, Extra Virgin

300g / 1 medium: Fennel, trimmed, sliced lengthways 2mm thick on a mandolin

150g / 1 medium: Courgette, sliced lengthways, 5mm thick

1g / 1 pinch: Sea salt

½ g / 1 pinch: Black pepper, freshly ground

15ml / 1 tbsp: Olive oil, Extra Virgin

For the rocket salad

100g / 4 handfuls: Rocket leaves, picked and washed

10ml / 2 tsp: Balsamic vinegar, 8 year old

15ml / 1 tbsp: Olive oil, extra virgin

½ g / 1 pinch: Black pepper, freshly ground

: Parmesan

Cooking Method

Step 1

Slice open the squid pouches lengthways and score each half with the point of a knife on the inside, about 2 mm thick. This will allow the heat to permeate fast, and help the curling of the squid. Cut each half into 6 pieces. Chop the
tentacles into 3cm pieces. Place all the prepared squid in a bowl with the olive oil, lemon juice, chopped chilli, grated palm sugar, and chopped coriander. Toss to mix and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. The salt will be added later,
otherwise it will cure the squid and draw out its water.

Step 2

Grilling the vegetables

Preheat the oven to 100ºC and heat a griddle pan on the stove. Arrange the tomato segments on greaseproof paper on a baking tray, brush with the olive oil and dry them in the oven for 1 ½ hours. In the hot griddle pan, grill the courgette and fennel slices for 1 minute on one side, until charred. Reserve in a large bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss in the tomatoes when they are ready. Reserve.

Step 3

Grilling the squid

Season the marinaded squid. Heat a griddle pan to very hot and lift the squid onto it for 15–30 seconds on each side. Remove from the griddle, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, reserve. It is essential for this dish that the griddle is very hot, to char the squid but barely cook it inside. The whole process will take no more than 1 minute.

Step 4

Preparing the rocket salad

Mix the leaves with all the dressing ingredients except the parmesan. Taste.

Step 5

To serve

On a rectangular plate, arrange the grilled vegetables along the bottom of the plate. Place the squid on top of them. Arrange the rocket salad leaves along the top of the plate and shave the parmesan over the salad.

Step 6

Variations

The two elements of this recipe can be served separately in their own right, as starters. You can grill a wider variety of vegetables including peppers, red onions, artichokes, English asparagus (blanched for 2 minutes before grilling) or aubergine. Based on a recipe taken from the BBC TV series and book Kitchen Secrets

Chef tips

"For me, squid can be cooked two ways – very quickly or very slowly. Each offers a completely different experience. The first is charred, crispy and soft inside; the other, being slow cooked, melts in the mouth with a wonderful rich and sweet flavour."

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