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Salt and pepper squid

Salt and pepper squid

椒鹽鮮魷
Pan-friedSeafoodWeekendFor guestsMediumhands-on 25 min · start to finish 35 min

“Fried golden. The children’s favourite.”

Ingredientsserves 4

街市Squid· cleaned, scored inside in a cross-hatch, in 4 cm pieces600 g
雜貨舖Salt· half for the marinade, half toasted for the salt and pepper1 tsp
百子櫃Peppercorn, chiefly white· white peppercorns toasted and ground, or ground white pepper; a bought salt-and-pepper packet also works1 tsp
雜貨舖Rice wine (cooking wine)· Shaoxing, for the marinade1 tsp
雜貨舖Cornflour· cornflour, or half potato starch and half cornflour4 tbsp
街市Garlic· chopped3 cloves
街市Shallots· sliced2
街市Chilli· diced1
街市Spring onion / scallion· chopped2
雜貨舖Cooking oil· a cup for shallow frying, a tablespoon for the aromatics250 ml plus 1 tbsp

Method

  1. Toast half a teaspoon of salt and the white peppercorns in a dry wok over low heat, grind the pepper and mix it with the salt for the seasoning; skip this if you are using a bought packet.
  2. Drop the squid into boiling water for about ten seconds and lift the pieces out the moment they curl; the TV chef's rule is that a second longer makes them tough. Drain and pat completely dry with kitchen paper.
  3. Toss with half a teaspoon of salt, a pinch of white pepper and the wine, then with the cornflour so every piece has a thin dry coat.
  4. Put a cup of oil in a deep pan, no more than a third of the way up, and heat to 180°C, when a wooden chopstick fizzes hard. Fry the squid in two batches for about a minute until the coat is crisp and pale gold; the squid is already cooked, so this is only for the crust. Drain on a rack.
  5. Pour off the oil, leave a tablespoon, and over high heat fry the garlic, shallot and chilli for twenty seconds.
  6. Return the squid, scatter the salt and pepper and the spring onion, toss for ten seconds and serve at once, while it is hot.

Take care

  • Contains mollusc (squid), a declared allergen in Australia; wheat if the cornflour is wheaten. The squid must be dry before it meets the oil or it spits; shallow-fry in a deep pan, not a flat one, with the oil no more than a third up the side and a lid to hand.

The story

Salt and pepper squid is a dai pai dong and typhoon-shelter dish, crisp fried squid off an open-air stall with a cold beer, and it moved home once packet seasoning and cleaned squid were sold in supermarkets; HK01 calls it a fifteen-minute dai pai dong stir-fry. The home problem is the deep-fryer, so Hong Kong recipes now split between a shallow fry in a cup of oil and the air fryer.

Same technique

Pan-fried dace fish cakesEgg dumplingsStuffed peppers, eggplant and tofu

Lo Fo Tong is cultural food-heritage reference, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, unwell or on medication, talk to your doctor or registered practitioner before changing what is in the pot.