Country-Style Squid on the Plancha
By Andrew Zimmern
In this episode of Wild Game Kitchen, I tackle fresh squid, demonstrating how to break down this often-intimidating seafood into two delicious dishes. First, learn the essential technique of cleaning and preparing squid, then create a vibrant Mediterranean-style salad where quickly grilled squid is served with shaved fennel, cherry tomatoes, and grilled endive, and a bright lemon-caper dressing. Then, I’m sharing my rustic country-style squid on the plancha, where rings of squid are tossed with fresh breadcrumbs, chilies, and herbs, then cooked until golden and crispy, served alongside a rich homemade aioli.
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Crispy Squid with Lemon Aioli
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh squid, cleaned
- 2 shallots, finely diced
- 1 poblano pepper, finely diced
- 2 red fresno chiles, finely diced
- 1/2 cup natural sun-dried tomatoes, finely diced (try not to buy the ones packed in olive oil)
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- Zest of a lemon or two
- 2-3 cups fresh breadcrumbs from artisanal Italian bread
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Lemon aioli, for serving
Instructions
Clean the squid, remove the pen and skin, and separate squid into tubes and tentacles. Trim down large tentacles and cut the squid tubes into rings, about a third of an inch in size. Combine in a bowl with shallots, peppers, tomatoes, thyme, lemon zest, breadcrumbs and butter. Season well with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat everything with the butter.
Preheat a plancha, flat top or large cast iron skillet over high heat.
Season your plancha with olive oil. Working quickly, evenly spread the squid mixture over the hot cooking surface. Brown your squid mixture on one side. Flip using a large metal spatula and cook briefly on the second side. When cooked through and breadcrumbs have browned, about 4 minutes total cooking time, pile the squid on a plate. Season with salt and serve with a little bit of lemon mayo.
Lemon Aioli
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup olive oil
Place the egg yolks, mustard, vinegar and lemon zest in large liquid measuring cup. Pulse the ingredients using an immersion blender. Then, with the blender running, slowly pour in the canola oil in a thin stream to make an emulsion. Next, pour the olive oil in a thin stream. Stir in the lemon juice. Serve with the squid.
