Salt and Pepper Squid (2024)

This is unexpectedly easy to shop for as well as easy to cook. Baby squid (better here than tougher, grown-up, windsock-sized ones) can be found, frozen, in 500g boxes, to be stashed in your freezer and thawed as needed. And while any recipe that involves a pestle and mortar can seem like too much kitchen faffing when you get back from work, let me tell you that a bit of murderous bashing can be a great stress-relieving exercise.

But if you're not convinced (and believe me I understand: until recently I had only to read the words 'pestle and mortar' to be filled with dread and intimidation) you can always use one of those little electric coffee-bean or spice grinders for blitzing the salt and pepper. Already-ground pepper and fine salt is not an impossible option; I won't pretend they'll be as good, but as long as you don't use that school-pepper-container dust — more sneeze-powder than aromatic spice — it'll be just fine. Although you will need to adjust the amount you use, so halve the amount of fine sea salt and ground pepper to 1 tablespoon of each.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

This is unexpectedly easy to shop for as well as easy to cook. Baby squid (better here than tougher, grown-up, windsock-sized ones) can be found, frozen, in 500g boxes, to be stashed in your freezer and thawed as needed. And while any recipe that involves a pestle and mortar can seem like too much kitchen faffing when you get back from work, let me tell you that a bit of murderous bashing can be a great stress-relieving exercise.

But if you're not convinced (and believe me I understand: until recently I had only to read the words 'pestle and mortar' to be filled with dread and intimidation) you can always use one of those little electric coffee-bean or spice grinders for blitzing the salt and pepper. Already-ground pepper and fine salt is not an impossible option; I won't pretend they'll be as good, but as long as you don't use that school-pepper-container dust — more sneeze-powder than aromatic spice — it'll be just fine. Although you will need to adjust the amount you use, so halve the amount of fine sea salt and ground pepper to 1 tablespoon of each.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

As featured in

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  NIGELLA BITES

  2001

1. Put the oil in a frying pan over a high heat.
2. Bash the salt and peppercorns in a pestle and mortar till a bit more than bruised but not quite pulverised, and combine this mixture in a freezer bag with the cornflour, adding the squid and tossing to coat well but not heavily.
3. When the oil's very hot — not quite smoking but nearly — fry the squid (knocking any excess cornflour back in the bag first) in batches (about four, probably) and cook each batch for about a minute or so till just crisp on the outside and still sweet and tender within. You probably won't need to turn the squid since the oil should bubble up and cook both sides at once, but do if you feel better.
4. Remove to plates lined with kitchen towel.
5. After the squid's sat for about half a minute, remove the greasy towel — though sometimes, I dispense with this faddy stage — squeeze lemon over and eat with your fingers — quickly.

1. Put the oil in a frying pan over a high heat.
2. Bash the salt and peppercorns in a pestle and mortar till a bit more than bruised but not quite pulverised, and combine this mixture in a freezer bag with the cornstarch, adding the squid and tossing to coat well but not heavily.
3. When the oil's very hot — not quite smoking but nearly — fry the squid (knocking any excess cornstarch back in the bag first) in batches (about four, probably) and cook each batch for about a minute or so till just crisp on the outside and still sweet and tender within. You probably won't need to turn the squid since the oil should bubble up and cook both sides at once, but do if you feel better.
4. Remove to plates lined with kitchen towel.
5. After the squid's sat for about half a minute, remove the greasy towel — though sometimes, I dispense with this faddy stage — squeeze lemon over and eat with your fingers — quickly.