Most of us only ever consume calamari or squid in our favorite Italian restaurant and usually deep fried with a bowl of Marinara sauce on the side.
I have been guilty of this as much as the next person. These past few months however as I have been passing the tray of fresh squid in my Asian store there has been whispers of longing in my heart as I have scurried past the aisle.
Had I acted on these whispers in a timely fashion this post would have come to you a lot sooner. The final straw was when my boys this past week took the tongs in their hand, lifted up the beady eyed squid and gleefuly asked me to take some home.
Let me be honest, when it comes to food Mr. Hubby and I believe that since the boys are en route to becoming men, they must have a palete that grows with them and so they must be adventurous and open to food from all cultures.
It should therefore come as no surprise that at 6 months, the first solid food in the mouth of my older babe was Spanish Paella. And yet as adventurous as my boys are, the parent in me had an incling that the boys may be more enamored by the tenatales than the actual taste of these deep sea creatures.
Needless to say, I made a mental note to keep a side of whole grain toast and jam for them - just in case. The idea of a warm salad was appealing to me because I heart the thought of quick stir-fried squid on a bed of crispy tender summer veggies.
The end result thankfully left us all speechless - in a good way.
Gather the ingredients - Squid tubes (preferably baby squid & pre-cleaned), large red bell pepper, large yellow bell peppers, frozen shelled edamame, spanish red onion, fennel seeds, garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, smoked Hungarian Paprika, Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sugar & salt.
Step 1 - Clean the squid - If your squid is pre-cleaned omit this step and proceed to Step 2 and onwards.
Thaw the squid if frozen. Cut away the tentacles just above the eyes and set them aside for use.
Firmly hold the squid under running tap water with one hand. With the other hand, grip the head and pull while twisting it side to side.
The head and contents of the body will soon slide out in one piece; throw them away (pic on the left)
Grasp the pointed tip of the thin cartilage layer inside the body, draw it out and discard it.
Make an incision with a sharp knife in the skin.Insert a finger and keep tugging as the body's outer casing separates from the body.
Cut away the the fins with kitchen shears and dispose along with the casing. Clean the squid by rinsing out the inner cavity of the body.
Slice the squid tubes into 1/2" rings and set aside with the tentacles.
Step 2 : Prepare remaining ingredients
Onion - Cut away ends and peel. Discard the skin and quarter. Cut into thinly sliced quarters.
Bell peppers - Cut away top. Discard the membranes and cartilege. Quarter and cut into 1/4" thick slices.
Edamame - Place beans in a microwave safe bowl. Add 2 tbs water. Cover and microwave for 3 mins.
Garlic - Peel, crush with the back of knife and finely chop.
In a wok, heat the olive oil for a minute or so. Add the fennel seeds and as soon as it sizzles, add the sliced onions, red pepper flakes and 1/2 tsp sugar.
Over medium-high heat saute for about 4 minutes till softened but shows no discoloration.
Add the sliced bell peppers and over high heat, saute for about 5-7 minutes until the peppers are crispy tender. Add 1/2 tsp sugar.
Add the edamame beans (drain away any water from the bowl) along with the salt and balsamic vinegar and saute for another minute or so.
Taste and adjust seasonings. Empty the contents from the wok and divide among 4 serving plates.
Return the empty wok to the heat keeping the flame high.
Add olive oil and heat for a minute. As soon as it is fuming add the fennel seeds and garlic. As soon as it sizzles and shows a slight browning around the edges, add the squid rings and tentacles.
Add salt and parika. On high high stir-fry the squid for no more than 2 minutes. As soon as the rings show curling on the edges it is done. Do not overcook or the squid will toughen and turn rubbery.
Plate immediately.
Top the plated bell peppers with squid. Drizzle the juices all over and serve.
Succulent and tender, the squid infused with the flavors from the garlic and smoked paprika pair beautifully with the delicious crispy tender bell peppers and edamame base.
The natural sweetness from the onions and peppers punctuated by burst of fennel and the tang from the balsamic vinegar does a little dance with the squid that is intensely flavorful and refreshing.
I even got my older one to eat a whole plate and my4 year old to take a couple of bites. I am one happy mom.
Recipe for
Warm Squid Salad with Edamame and Bell Peppers
Preparation time - 15 minutes
Cooking time - 15 minutes
Serves - 4
Shopping list
Vegetable Stir-fry
1 large red bell pepper
1 large yellow bell peppers
1 cup frozen shelled edamame
1 medium spanish red onion
1/2 tsp fennel seeds (for the stir-fry)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tbs olive oil
Squid -
1-1/2 lbs Squid tubes (preferably baby squid & pre-cleaned)
5 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp smoked Hungarian Paprika
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Preparation-
Step 1 - Clean the squid - If your squid is pre-cleaned omit this step and proceed to Step 2 and onwards.
Thaw the squid if frozen. Cut away the tentacles just above the eyes and set them aside for use.
Firmly hold the squid under running tap water with one hand. With the other hand, grip the head and pull while twisting it side to side.
The head and contents of the body will soon slide out in one piece; throw them away (pic on the left)
Grasp the pointed tip of the thin cartilage layer inside the body, draw it out and discard it.
Make an incision with a sharp knife in the skin.Insert a finger and keep tugging as the body's outer casing separates from the body.
Cut away the the fins with kitchen shears and dispose along with the casing. Clean the squid by rinsing out the inner cavity of the body.
Slice the squid tubes into 1/2" rings and set aside with the tentacles.
Step 2 : Prepare remaining ingredients
Onion - Cut away ends and peel. Discard the skin and quarter. Cut into thinly sliced quarters.
Bell peppers - Cut away top. Discard the membranes and cartilege. Quarter and cut into 1/4" thick slices.
Edamame - Place beans in a microwave safe bowl. Add 2 tbs water. Cover and microwave for 3 mins.
Garlic - Peel, crush with the back of knife and finely chop.
In a wok, heat the olive oil for a minute or so. Add the fennel seeds and as soon as it sizzles, add the sliced onions, red pepper flakes and 1/2 tsp sugar.
Over medium-high heat saute for about 4 minutes till softened but shows no discoloration.
Add the sliced bell peppers and over high heat, saute for about 5-7 minutes until the peppers are crispy tender. Add 1/2 tsp sugar.
Add the edamame beans (drain away any water from the bowl) along with the salt and balsamic vinegar and saute for another minute or so.
Taste and adjust seasonings. Empty the contents from the wok and divide among 4 serving plates.
Return the empty wok to the heat keeping the flame high.
Add olive oil and heat for a minute. As soon as it is fuming add the fennel seeds and garlic. As soon as it sizzles and shows a slight browning around the edges, add the squid rings and tentacles.
Add salt and parika. On high high stir-fry the squid for no more than 2 minutes. As soon as the rings show curling on the edges it is done. Do not overcook or the squid will toughen and turn rubbery.
Plate immediately.
Top the plated bell peppers with squid. Drizzle the juices all over and serve.
Enjoy!
