Salt and Pepper Squid on a Crunchy Thai Salad
The Chinese 5-spice is the key ingredient in this dish. Use a good one from an Asian store, it will be much more aromatic than its supermarket counterparts.
Serves: 4 - 6
INGREDIENTS
750g baby squid tubes
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons Chinese 5-spice
3⁄4 cup rice flour
2 egg whites
2-3 cups canola oil for frying
Salad
A selection of any of the following salad ingredients:
baby spinach, spring onions, coriander, watercress, bean sprouts, basil, mint, rocket, cucumber, flat leaf parsley, celery, red capsicum, roasted unsalted peanuts or cashews, snow peas
Dressing
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1⁄4 cup packed mint or coriander leaves or both
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed
pinch of sugar
METHOD
Cut the squid in half and score the inside with the tip of a sharp knife. Grind the salt, pepper and 5-spice together in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Place the rice flour in a wide shallow dish and mix
through the salt mixture. In another bowl lightly beat the egg whites.
Heat the oil in a wok or a deep saucepan to medium-high.
Take a few pieces of squid at a time and dip them into the egg whites then into the salt/flour mixture. Drop carefully into the oil and cook for 30-40 seconds until golden and crisp. Using a slotted spoon
remove the squid and drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a low oven. Repeat until all the squid is cooked.
Salad: Place the dressing ingredients in a food processor and blend. Combine the salad ingredients in a bowl and dress lightly just before serving.
To finish: Pile the salad onto plates and top with the squid. Serve immediately. Serves 4-6
Bamboo steamers are available from Asian grocery stores nationwide.
Keep up to date with
dish weekly recipes,
food news, and events.
Related Content
latest issue:
126
We start by sharing what’s on the dish team’s radar, what we’re watching, listening to and reading. Harry Butterfield puts a twist on his Nonna’s agnolotti, Malissa Fedele reminds us of the importance of fibre, and Phoebe Holden fulfils a long-held dream, sitting down with Yotam Ottolenghi. Autumn is an abundant time, we make the most with pumpkin, kūmara, cabbage, cauliflower, feijoas, apples and pears. We’re dishing up dinners for two, including a Chicken Dumpling Lasagne, alongside easy weeknight meals. We honour our mums, revisit timeless classics, and add a little baking challenge. This issue, we encourage you to slow down, to enjoy writing your shopping list, and spending time in the kitchen. Because even when life feels relentless, there’s always space to share something delicious.