Salt & Pepper Squid

A globally recognized fast food, cultural emblem, and historically feared deep sea leviathan.

Ranging in length from mere millimetres to many metres the Squid for an invertebrate is incredibly intelligent, a ferocious hunter, a fearless foe, a speed demon and sneaky.

To add to the myth of the squid they have identifiers like “Giant”, or “Colossal” or even “Vampire”. Notwithstanding their “pronouns” they are tasty, succulent and versatile.

From August through to Christmas Squidward and his clan move into the Waitemata. The local Squidders (Squid fisher folk) are out in force as these slick morsels fossick their way around our waters looking to dine, date and mate.

Kiwis were introduced proper to the culinary wonders of squid during the late 70’s and into the 80’s, thanks in part to our Italian and Greek immigrants sharing their history, culture and culinary fare. Prior to the Mediterranean and Asian immigrant influence I would dare to suggest that New Zealand was predominantly a meat and three veg society.

One more important consideration for the traditionalist….Squid is a magnificent bait, fresh, or frozen.

For the palate squid flesh is quick to cook and only takes minutes to transform into delicate deliciousness.

There are many iterations of Salt n Pepper squid, I find this one of the easiest and tastiest.

If you are going to use fresh caught squid then clean, slice, and soak in milk for at least 30 minutes. The lactic acid in milk helps to tenderise the squid. Once soaked rinse squid under fresh water to remove any milky residue, then pat dry with a paper towel or your mate Pat.

If you are going to use frozen and thawed squid you can forget the milk stage as the act of freezing and thawing the squid has achieved the same outcome.

 

Into a bowl add:

  • Half a kg of sliced squid tubes and their tentacles if you have them
  • Quarter of a cup of olive oil
  • A tablespoon of good flaky sea salt, the one without the “anticaking agent”
  • A dessertspoon of freshly cracked or ground pepper
  • A teaspoon of smoked paprika
  • A shake of Chili flakes (optional)

Give it a good mix, let sit for 5 minutes to bind then onto a hot BBQ grill (or Pan, but BBQ is preferred.) Squid will turn from white to opaque in under a minute so watch ‘em like a hawk.

I would suggest turning the squid every 30 seconds and after 2 minutes remove from BBQ and onto a paper towel to drain any excess oil.

Plate up and pretty up to suit your audience, add a squeeze of lime and serve.