Serves: 2-4 as a starter or main course - Time:
Salt and black pepper squid has long been a feature on many menus but I have moved ingredients around to include the pepper in a powerful dipping sauce for the squid. To make life simple I bought some prepared squid rings from the fishmonger so this dish can be put together in a matter of minutes. You can also prepare the squid and mayonnaise in advance so all you need to do is heat the fryer about 15 minutes before you want to eat. Don’t try and grind the pepper from a mill-you really need to pulverise the peppercorns in a mortar to get the best flavour. Also, try and use homemade mayonnaise; while there are some good ones on the market they all fall down on their texture. You can find a recipe in the Larder section on this website.
Ingredients
- For the mayonnaise
- 200g mayonnaise, preferably homemade
- ¾ tablespoon black peppercorns
- Juice of one lime
- For the crispy squid
- 30g plain flour
- Salt and pepper
- 2 medium eggs
- 90g panko crumbs
- 300g squid rings
- Oil for deep-frying
- To serve Lime wedges
Method
- Put the mayonnaise in a mixing bowl. Grind the peppercorns in a mortar to a fine crumb. Stir into the mayonnaise with the lime juice. Spoon into a serving bowl and refrigerate.
- Put the flour in a wide bowl and add a generous pinch of salt and pepper. In a second, similar-sized bowl beat the eggs with a pinch of salt (this helps breaks down the albumen). Pour the panko crumbs in a slightly larger bowl.
- Dip each squid ring into the flour, followed by the egg and finally roll the squid to coat it in the panko. Place on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining squid rings. You can refrigerate the squid until you are ready to eat.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan or deep-fryer to 180˚c. Carefully fry the squid in small batches for about 2 minutes until golden brown. Lift out of the oil and drain on kitchen paper. Serve as soon as possible with the mayonnaise and some extra lime wedges on the side.