This may sound strange but…I don’t like squid. An abruptly sweeping announcement coming from someone who prides herself on being a rabid omnivore, but there you have it. We all have our idiosyncrasies I suppose. Squid and “loose” mince being mine (I have an unexplainable aversion to mince if not shaped into a ball, patty, or loaf — meaning I eat neither this nor this, not matter how much my family loves them). But this blog post has room for only one eccentricity so let’s save mince for another time.
So…squid. I can’t really put my finger on why or when this bête noire started. I am guessing though that is has something (a great big something) to do with how easily squid can be bungled. Err a little in judgment and you’ve got tough pieces of rubber on your plate. In fact, there is only one squid dish in this whole city that I will voluntarily order. This may seem, actually is, grossly unfair – to lump all squid for all time just because of that reason, which is no fault of the poor cephalopod – so I’ve been working towards being on friendlier terms with them.
Two things, I think, brought about my, I wouldn’t say conversion, but my willingness to explore the world of squid further. The first was tasting one fresh out of the water, raw, still with a luminous translucence – such soft sweetness, with a hint of the sea where it was swimming just moments before. The other was actually preparing them for our first paella – compared to deveining shrimp and gutting fish, cleaning squid was so easy and clean (if you are careful with the ink sack that is)!
Now all I needed was a way to prepare them that wouldn’t send me back into my squid averse days…
Lemon Garlic Squid
- Olive oil
- 300 grams squid
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 lemon, sliced in half
- Sea salt
– Prepare the squid. I like to clean and prep my squid like Jamie Oliver does his. I do it as for grilling /frying , but then cut it into strips. It never comes out quite as expertly as his does, I really do need to brush up on my scoring skills, but I stubbornly insist on trying. Of course, you can prepare them however you wish and that will do just fine and I promise not to tell Jamie.
– Heat a couple of generous swirls of olive oil in a skillet. You want a nice thin layer of oil that lines the bottom of the pan.
– When the oil is hot add the garlic and let this sizzle for a bit – let the garlic soften but not get too toasted.
– Add the squid and let them cook, while shaking the pan back and forth (yes, like they do on tv…it feels fantastic!), until opaque and curled. This happens in under a minute so watch it! Do not overcook the squid or you will end up with sad bits of rubber.
– When the squid just starts to curl toss in the parsley, some salt, and keep shaking (the pan, not you…although you can go ahead and shimmy along if the mood takes you).
– As soon as the squid is done, right after it’s gone opaque and curly, take it off the heat and squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Swirl the pan as the lemon juice sizzles to mix. Check and adjust seasoning. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top.
– Serve immediately with the other half of the lemon for anyone who would like a squeeze or two more.
If you pay attention not to overcook this, which is not a difficult thing to do, I think this is an ideal dish to try your hand at squid cooking. Fast, easy (oh-so easy!), and delicious. The flavors are simple and clean and complement the squid nicely without overpowering it. Once you’re done with prepping your squid the whole thing comes together in mere seconds. This is perfect with some crusty bread to mop up the juices. You can also toss it with pasta for a light, bright, summery lunch. If you’d like some spice, add a chili or some chili flakes to the pan when you do the garlic.
I love it when I am able to conquer a food I once had issues with. Feels like opening a whole new pathway of discovery. Squid, here I come! 🙂
Sounds yum! I will try it. Big A likes squid only one way – adobo in black ink, and I really can't cook the way his mother's cook (or Milky Way cafe) does so will just leave that to them… And you do know of his love affair with mince, right? I told you about the time he came running up to me in the bookstore saying he'd found The Best Book Ever – 100 Ways to Cook Mince! To this day, I have, only for his sake, cooked 3 of those ways.
Lemon-garlic is one of my favorite flavor combos and it does work wonderfully with seafood.
And I share your aversion for unformed mince. I don't know why, but eating ground meat as is (not made into meatballs or meatloaf) just feels so wrong…
Hi there! I just found your blog and have been enjoying reading your past posts. I actually am a big fan of squid, so I'd love to try this recipe. It looks delicious!
I love squid and do love preparing it this way. It's a perfect dish for one since the only way my girls eat squid is fried. Can't go wrong with olive oie or butter and garlic 🙂
Excellent! Looks delicious too. I haven't checked out the prep link. Hope I can conquer it. I can almost taste those juicy little babies now. Thanks! – Gary
Congrats on expanding your universe. Thought you were going to say that the only exception you made was for cocktail fried squid – in which case, the frying is the attraction and the squid just a carrier.
delicious. A big squid fan here so this totally fits the bill!
Simple indeed! I remember my grilled squid I did months ago. Hope you're doing good and your baby 🙂
Hi Iya! C like adobong posit too but it’s not a favorite of mine so I can’t really cook it even bordering on decent…hmmm, maybe I should befriend A’s mum’s cook! Yes, I am familiar with his love affair with mince! That book has his name written all over it!
Hi Midge! Lemon and garlic is the absolute top with seafood! I agree! I do not know where this quirk with mince comes from but I’m glad I’m not alone 🙂
Hi Lex! Glad you are enjoying! 🙂 Hope you like this!
Hi Jmom! I should try this with butter next time! Thanks for the tip 😉
Hi Gary! I really like how Jamie preps his squid…even if I haven’t really mastered it! Heehee 🙂
Hi Penny! Haha! Well, I’ve never had cocktail fried squid…perhaps that will be another squid dish I will enjoy 🙂
Hi Anh! Thanks! Hope you like it 🙂
Hi Joanie! We are doing well thanks! I will check out that grilled squid you made!
this is funny. hehe. at least, you're not physically allergic to it. enjoy the squid!
It sounds and looks delicious! I love the lemon/garlic combination.
Yum, I love simple dishes like these and I also love how squid makes for such a quick dish to prepare. I know the feeling of conquering food you once had issues with, I've had lots of those too. : )
On the mince note, we love arroz a la cubana, but we also can't stand picadillo with mince. So at home, my mom would have them do it with cubed beef. It's such a great reinvention of picadillo, try it.
Ah, joey how can you not like squid? But I agree it's easy to bungle it. I'm fortunate that my family knows how to prepare it well. this recipe sounds delish!
Hi Shalum! Yes, thank God for small favors right? 🙂
Hi Mireille! Simple but special…very Donna Hay! 😉 My whole family loves arroz a la cubana too…I am really the oddball in that respect. The picadillo with cubed beef sounds good though…must try!
Hi Veron! I know…weird! But I’m getting over it slowly 🙂
So glad you embraced the squid! This salad looks so fresh and amazing!
I love squid – I don't mind cleaning them and once I found a little fish in it's belly! Your version reminds me very much of a gambas dish with prawns that I adore – never thought to do it with squid – until now! Thanks for the inspiration.
Lemon, olive oil, garlic is a perfect light preparation for squid. Very nice!
hi! thanks for this simple recipe, I'll definitely try this… as of now I only had 3 ways to cook squid – grilled, adobo and ginisa with oyster sauce! 🙂
btw, I'd bookmarked your site! =)
I can't wait to try this! Looks sooooo good!!!
xoxo-
Kiani
http://www.kianiskitchen.blogspot.com
It took me a while to come around to squid. But if I had it the way you made it, I would have liked it a lot sooner! Hope you're doing well, Joey!
Hi Robin! I am too! This is very versatile and I imagine can top a number of different salads 🙂
Hi Trissa! Yes, this is very much like gambas…in fact, now that you have mentioned it, I think I will try this with paprika next time!
Hi Denise! I like the combination too 🙂
Hi Jualo! Glad you enjoyed this post 🙂 Hmmm…with oyster sauce sounds yummy!
Hi Kiani Nicole! Hope you like it!
Hi Susan! Yes I am doing well! Just adjusting to blogging with baby around 🙂 I am a bit distracted these days heehee 🙂 I know how squid can be a little challenging to warm up to…
This sounds delicious, but what if you've never had squid? Is there a substitute? 🙂
Looks delicious!
Hi Rea! I guess you could use cuttle fish or even shrimp/prawns 🙂
Thanks Chef Apple!
I concur with your assessment of cooking squid. There is such a fine line to tread when undercooking and overcooking. I leave that culinary magic to the masters. Regardless, I like the lemon garlic squid recipe.
Hi 4czech! Glad you liked the recipe 🙂