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Hong Kong-Style Salt & Pepper Squid

Hong Kong-Style Salt & Pepper Squid
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Home Food & Drinks Recipes Cooking Hong Kong-style Salt & Pepper Squid

Hong Kong-style Salt & Pepper Squid

Asian flavours

Tender on the inside, crunchy on the outside and seasoned with plenty of pepper and spice, these tasty Hong Kong-style morsels are perfect served as a nibble with drinks.

Severin Corti

Ingredients (4 servings)
500 g squid, cleaned (ask your fishmonger to do this for you)
100 g cornflour
1 teaspoon(s) salt
1 teaspoon(s) black peppercorns
1 teaspoon(s) Sechuan pepper
sunflower oil, for frying
2 spring onions, cut into fine rings
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
2 red and green Thai chilli peppers, finely sliced
6 lime wedges, to serve

Preparation: 

  • Separate the squid tentacles from the body tubes and set aside.
  • Score the insides of the squid bodies with the tip of a sharp knife in a diamond pattern, being careful not to cut all the way through. 
  • Cut each squid body into 3–4 triangles, keeping them the same approximate size.
  • Toast the black pepper and Sechuan pepper in a dry pan over a brisk heat for 1 minute, then grind coarsely in a pestle and mortar.
  • Mix two thirds of the pepper mixture in a medium bowl with the salt and cornflour. Dredge the squid in it.
  • Meanwhile, in a wok, heat 5cm of oil until hot. It is ready when a breadcrumb dropped into the hot oil sizzles and rapidly rises to the surface.
  • Fry the squid in 2–3 batches for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Keep warm. 
  • Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp oil in a frying pan and fry the white parts of the spring onions, the garlic and chillies over a high heat.
  • Sprinkle the fried squid with onion-chilli mixture and sprinkle over the remaining pepper mixture.
  • Garnish with the green parts of the sliced spring onions and serve with lime.
Severin Corti
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