Salt and Pepper Squid

Salt and Pepper Squid (椒盐鱿鱼)

A classic Cantonese restaurant favourite: tender squid coated in seasoned cornstarch, flash-fried until crisp, then tossed in a hot wok with chilli, garlic, spring onion and a generous dose of white and Sichuan pepper.

Prep

20 min

Cook

10 min

Total

30 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •600 g (1 lb 5 oz) cleaned squid tubes and tentacles, patted very dry
• •150 g (1¼ cups) cornstarch (cornflour)
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt
• •5 g (2 tsp) ground white pepper, divided
• •2 g (1 tsp) ground Sichuan pepper, optional but traditional
• •4 g (2 tsp) five-spice powder
• •500 ml (2 cups) neutral oil, peanut or sunflower, for shallow frying
• •20 g (4 cloves) garlic, finely chopped
• •10 g (2 cloves) ginger, finely chopped
• •15 g (2 long) red bird's eye chillies, sliced into thin rings, seeds in for more heat
• •15 g (2 long) dried red chillies, snipped into 1 cm pieces
• •30 g (2) spring onions, white and green parts separated, sliced
• •5 g (1 tsp) Shaoxing rice wine
• •1 g (¼ tsp) caster sugar
• •1 g (½ tsp) sesame oil
• •10 g (¼ cup) fresh coriander, to garnish, optional

Steps

1. 1 Score the inside of the squid tubes in a shallow crosshatch, then cut into roughly 4 × 4 cm (1½ × 1½ in) pieces. Keep tentacles whole. Pat thoroughly dry with paper towels — moisture is the enemy of a crisp crust.
2. 2 In a wide bowl, combine the cornstarch, salt, 1 tsp (2 g) white pepper, the Sichuan pepper and five-spice powder. Add the squid and toss with a dry hand until every piece is evenly coated; shake off excess.
3. 3 Heat the oil in a wok or deep heavy pan to 175 °C / 350 °F. Fry the squid in two batches, single layer, for 60–90 seconds per side — the coating should set pale and crisp, the squid just opaque. Do not crowd the pan or the temperature will drop and the squid will steam. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto a wire rack (not paper, which softens the crust).
4. 4 Tip out all but 2 Tbsp of the frying oil. Return the wok to high heat until shimmering. Add the dried chillies and stir-fry for 20 seconds until fragrant and slightly darkened.
5. 5 Add the garlic, ginger, sliced fresh chillies and the white parts of the spring onions. Stir-fry for 20–30 seconds until the garlic just turns pale gold — do not let it brown or it will turn bitter.
6. 6 Return the fried squid to the wok along with the green spring onion tops, the Shaoxing wine, sugar, sesame oil and the remaining 1 tsp white pepper. Toss vigorously for 20–30 seconds so everything is slicked in the aromatic oil and the squid is reheated through.
7. 7 Tip out onto a warm plate, scatter with coriander if using, and serve at once with cold beer or jasmine tea. The dish should be eaten within a few minutes of leaving the wok, before the crust softens.