Salt and pepper squid
Jiu yim sin yau (椒鹽鮮魷): crisp-fried squid tossed with garlic, chilli and spiced salt
Late at night in Temple Street, or at a seafood restaurant on Lamma Island after a ferry ride, someone at the table always orders the jiu yim squid: tender pieces under a thin, shattering coat, wok-tossed with a heap of fried garlic, chilli and spring onion and showered with a peppery spiced salt. It is crunchy, salty and a little fiery, ideal with a cold soft drink or as one of several dishes with rice. Squid cooks in seconds. The most frequent mistake is crowding the oil, which drops its temperature so the coating turns soggy and the squid goes rubbery while you wait; fry in small batches. Chef's tip: score the inside of the squid in a criss-cross pattern so it curls up and catches more of the salt.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
For the squid
- 1 ⅛ lb squid tubescleaned
- 1 ¾ oz cornflour
- 1 oz plain flour
- 3 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
For the spiced salt
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ tsp ground white pepper
- ¼ tsp five-spice powder
- ½ tsp sugar
For the aromatics
- 6 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- 2 red chilliesfinely chopped
- 3 spring onionsfinely chopped
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Rinse the squid tubes inside and out under cold water, pulling out any clear quill or loose membrane that is left.
Step 2: Cut 1 ⅛ lb squid tubes open into flat pieces and score the inside in a fine criss-cross with a sharp knife, without cutting through. Cut into 4 cm pieces and pat very dry.
Step 3: Toast 1 tsp salt in a dry pan over a medium heat until it turns faintly grey, then mix it off the heat with ¾ tsp ground white pepper, ¼ tsp five-spice powder and ½ tsp sugar.
2 minStep 4: Toss the squid with 1 egg white. Mix 1 ¾ oz cornflour and 1 oz plain flour in a bowl and toss the squid in it until coated, shaking off the excess.
Step 5: Heat 3 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a wok or deep pan to 375°F. Fry the squid in 3 batches until the coating is crisp and pale gold and the squid has turned opaque.
2 minStep 6: Drain on a rack. Let the oil come back to 375°F between batches.
Step 7: Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil. Over a medium heat, fry 6 cloves garlic, 2 red chillies and 3 spring onions until the garlic is golden and crisp.
1 minStep 8: Turn the heat to high, return the squid, sprinkle over the spiced salt and toss for 20 seconds. Serve straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 29 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does salt and pepper squid take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of cornflour?
- Arrowroot or potato starch, same amount.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Singapore chilli crab
Chilli crab was first sold from a pushcart on the Kallang river in the 1950s and is now the dish visitors queue for along Singapore's East Coast seafood strip. Big mud crabs are cut up, wok-fried and simmered in a thick, sweet, tangy and gently hot sauce of chilli, tomato and garlic, which is then silked with beaten egg. Everyone eats with their hands and mops up the sauce with fried or steamed mantou buns. It is a weekend or celebration meal, messy and loud. Buy crabs live or freshly cooked the same day from a fishmonger you trust. Discard any live crab that doesn't move, smells of ammonia or has a cracked, leaking shell. The common mistake is boiling the sauce after adding the egg, which scrambles it into lumps; pour it in a thin stream over a low heat. Chef's tip: ask the fishmonger to clean and quarter the crab for you, and crack each claw lightly with the back of a cleaver so the sauce soaks in.
Singaporean
Rhode Island clam cakes
At beach shacks along Narragansett Bay and in Galilee, clam cakes are bought by the paper bag, half a dozen at a time, to dunk in a cup of clear clam chowder. They are not patties but craggy, golden fritters, crisp outside and soft inside, studded with chopped quahog clams. Chef's tip: use the clam juice as part of the liquid; it puts the sea flavour into every bite of batter.
American
Tunisian octopus salad
Fishermen of the Kerkennah islands, off Sfax, still catch octopus in clay pots laid on the shallow seabed, and in winter the season's catch turns up in harbour cafés and home kitchens as this simple salad. The octopus is simmered slowly until tender, cooled in its broth, then sliced and tossed with red onion, plenty of parsley, lemon juice and good olive oil, with a little harissa if you like. It is light, clean and briny, eaten as a starter with bread or on a summer table of salads and grilled fish. Buy octopus from a reputable fishmonger; frozen and thawed octopus is often more tender than fresh. A common mistake is boiling the octopus at a rolling boil, which makes it rubbery; keep it at a gentle simmer until a knife slides in easily. Chef's tip: let the cooked octopus cool in its cooking liquid for 20 minutes before slicing; it stays juicy rather than tightening up.
Tunisian