Salt and Pepper Squid (Super Tender)

Recipe: Salt and Pepper Squid Recipe »

This salt and pepper squid recipe produces the tenderest squid you will EVER eat. You will not believe how buttery tender the squid is when you eat it. This recipe is inspired by the Australian pub style salt and pepper squid - you won't have to leave your house again for this Aussie favourite!

About This Salt and Pepper Squid

Salt and pepper squid is a very popular staple at pubs, restaurants and cafes in Australia. It actually comes from a Cantonese dish but has become so popular here that some people call it one of the unofficial dishes of Australia because it is so regularly pops up on menus. I've lost count of the number of times I've asked a waiter what is the most popular dish on the menu and they say "Salt and pepper squid". And even restaurants that don't do so well with other food can make a decent s&p squid.

One of the reasons why it is so popular, apart from the taste and that everyone loves it, is also how easy it is to make and takes 2 minutes to cook so restaurants tend to put it on the menu. You basically cut up some squid hoods, dredge them in a seasoned flour mixture and then deep fry them. But do you want to know the secret to making it super tender?

It's marinating the squid! I tried so many versions of it I was sick of the sight of squid after a couple of days but I landed on the absolute best marinade for tenderising squid. It was from a youtube video by Franco Gueli and he marinated the squid in a mix of bicarb, sugar and lemon juice. It produces a "magic" reaction that bubbles up when you add the lemon juice and then tenderises the squid! This marinade tenderises the squid so incredibly and also prevents it from curling up. You do have to wait 3 hours for the marinade to do its work but trust me, it's worth it!

I also tried other marinades like lemon juice and buttermilk and they were ok but they weren't anywhere near as tender as this marinade. Usually for tender squid you can either cook it quickly or for a long time like this slow cooked squid and chorizo recipe.

This recipe is for the pub style salt and pepper squid and I'll also share a recipe for Chinese Chilli and Garlic Salt and Pepper squid soon once I visit my mother in Singapore and get her recipe.

Ingredients for Salt and Pepper Squid or Calamari

• Squid tubes or hoods - You can buy these at the supermarket or a fish monger. This recipe also works for calamari rings or other types of calamari or squid.
• Bicarb - bicarb of soda is an essential part of any kitchen and used regularly in Chinese cuisine to tenderise aka velvet chicken and beef and to make popular dishes like Imperial Beef and Mongolian Beef. It needs to be washed away thoroughly once it has done its job though or it will impart a slight metallic taste.
• Sugar - regular white sugar is used. This is part of the chemical reaction and washed away with the marinade and doesn't really have an impact on taste.
• Lemon juice - Freshly squeezed or bottled lemon juice works here.
• Oil- I use canola oil for deep frying.
• Flour - good old plain or all purpose flour works here
• Cornflour/cornstarch - cornstarch works well to keep this crispy and light.
• Baking powder - this is used to lighten up the coating once fried.
• Black pepper - essential for the dish! I always crack this fresh. I find the pre-cracked black pepper too fine and once you measure out a teaspoon it is overwhelming in the dish.
• Fine salt - also essential to the dish. I use pink salt but use whatever fine salt you like eg kosher salt
• Garlic powder - just to give it extra flavour. Tip: store your garlic powder in the freezer to prevent it clumping!

Tips For Making Salt and Pepper Squid

1 - Wash the squid in cold, running water and then pat dry.

2 - Make the hatch or diamond pattern on the inside of the squid tube.

3 - Make sure to not cut all the way through the squid when making the hatch pattern. I found using a smaller knife to make the hatch pattern gave me a bit more control than a large chef's knife that is also heavier.

4 - Make sure to mix up the squid in the marinade once or twice during the three hours that it marinates just to ensure that the squid is evenly tenderised. Please don't be tempted to shorten this. Any less time just isn't enough for the marinade to tenderise the squid.

5 - Make sure to thoroughly rinse the squid of the marinade. I drained the squid in a sieve under cold running water for 45 seconds tossing it with my hand to ensure there is no bicarb left. If you don't rinse the bicarb off well it will leave a metallic aftertaste that is unpleasant.

6 - Make sure to pat the squid dry very well so that it doesn't spit too much when you deep fry it. I ended up using quite a few paper towels.

7 - I fry this in oil that is around 160C/320F. Cook the squid in three batches so that the oil isn't overcrowded as it will drop in temperature.

8 - I like putting the squid in hatch or cut side up so that it curls over on the edges.

9 - Make your own tartare sauce by mixing 3 tablespoons mayonnaise with 3 finely chopped cornichons, 1-2 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon chopped chives. This is my other tartare sauce recipe (along with battered fish and chips). And I also love this Japanese tartare sauce recipe too! If you're looking for something that doesn't involve deep frying try my unfried baked calamari ring recipe.

10 - Can I bake this instead of deep frying it? Yes you sure can! Just coat the squid in the flour and then spray generously with an oil spray so that there are no white patches left. Then bake in a 200C/400F oven for 10 minutes! I love baking this when I can't be bothered deep frying.

Salt and Pepper Squid Recipe

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Recipe Overview

Preparation time: 10 minutes plus 3 hours marinating time

Cooking time: 2 minutes per batch

Serves: 2-4 as an entree

Ingredients Needed

• 500g/1.1lbs squid tubes
• 3 teaspoons bicarb
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 70ml/2.5ozs lemon juice
• Oil for deep frying

To Dip

• 45g/1.6ozs plain all purpose flour
• 45g/1.6ozs cornflour/cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1 - Start this 3.5 hours (or the night) before you want to eat it. Wash and pat dry the squid tubes with paper towels and then cut reach tube open on one side. Pat the inside of the squid tube dry with paper towels and remove any sticky membrane by pulling on it. Take a small knife and cut a fine hatch pattern on the squid on the inside side of the tube. Cut into strips and place in a medium sized bowl.

Step 2 - Add bicarb and sugar to the bowl and then add the lemon juice. Allow it to fizz and then stir the marinade so that it is evenly distributed. Cover and place in the fridge for 3 hours stirring twice during that time to distribute the marinade.

Step 3 - When the time is up, drain the squid of the liquid in a sieve under cold, running water for 45 seconds, tossing the squid with your hands to ensure that there is no bicarb left hiding anywhere. The squid will already feel different and much softer. Drain well and lay out double layers of paper towels and place each piece of squid on them and pat dry.

Step 4 - Heat a cast iron pot and add 2 inches of oil (or use a deep fryer) and heat to 160C/320F.

Step 5 - Whisk the flour, cornflour, baking powder, black pepper, salt and garlic powder together in a medium sized bowl and add a third of the squid mixture into the bowl, coating each piece well.

Step 6 - Add each piece to the hot oil individually hatch side up and stir the squid gently in the oil to ensure that it is cooked evenly. Cook for 2 minutes total. Drain on paper towels. Season with more salt and pepper to taste if desired or keep as is. Serve with tartare sauce and a wedge of lemon.

Personal Note

Something very odd happened on the day that I made this squid. I had just finished testing this and writing it up when at 6:15pm. I was about to give myself an early mark and turn off my computer when I received an email confirming a restaurant booking in half an hour's time at 6:45pm.

Except I had not made a restaurant booking.

"How odd," I said to myself. I just emailed them back and said that I hadn't made the booking and wasn't sure why I was receiving the email. I didn't really think much of it and continued on my night.

Around 8:45pm, I was sitting in the bedroom recording a voiceover for a reel and I received a call. It was the manager of the restaurant that the booking was for. He started apologising and saying that the he was very sorry and that the restaurant usually has higher standards.

I thought to myself "This is a bit much for an email," but then he kept explaining about how the meal this evening was really not an indication of how it should have been and how his staff had explained that they were embarrassed about everything that had happened.

"Can you tell me in your words what happened?" I asked thoroughly confused and quite honestly I wanted to know what on earth was going on - give a girl some tea at least. He just repeated himself, without any new information so I stopped him and clarified who he thought he was speaking to. Sure enough it was me - he had my name, email address and phone number.

Then a thought occurred to me. Perhaps someone was impersonating me and trying to get special treatment out of a restaurant or a free meal. I don't know why they would have used my email address to do it but the whole situation seemed very odd. I started to get worried that I was now a victim of identity theft. He said that he was going to try and track down this couple and would call me back. I don't know why they would have chosen me because my face is easily found online but who knew what was going on?

He called me back the next day and explained that there was another Lorraine Elliott that was actually staying in the hotel. She was from the UK and had booked the table at the front counter of the restaurant. The hostess that booked them in must have seen my name in there from as I had dined at some of their other restaurants and auto filled it in. This was really silly because you would confirm a phone number as my name isn't that unusual! As for me, I let out a huge sigh of relief knowing that I wasn't the subject of identify theft.

So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever been or known a victim of identity theft? Do you like salt and pepper squid?