A noteonsquidink
Whilecleaningsquid, harvestthe
ink,foundin theentrails;it looks
likea blackvein.Puncturetheink
sacthensqueezeinto1 tbspwater,
wine,orothercookingliquid.To
avoidstaining,wearglovesand
an apron, and cover work surfaces.2
1 4
H
oweverdauntingit may
seem,buyinga wholesquid
andcleaningit yourselfis
easyandeconomical.Look
foronethat’sextremelyfreshorfrozen
solid– it shouldbeshiny,slightly
translucentandfirm.Therearemany
squid-fishingspotsinAustralia,so
a freshcatchshouldbeeasytofind.
If frozen,letit thawcompletelyinthe
fridge,thencleananduseimmediately.
Thesecephalopodshavea mild-tasting
fleshthatsoaksuptheflavourswith
whichthey’recookedand,withlittle
by-catch, they’re sustainable too.Stepbystep
1
Usinga slighttwistingmotion,
pulltheheadandtentaclesfirmly
awayfromthebody;mostofthe
entrailswill come out as well.2
Pulloutanddiscardtheclearquill
thatrunsdowntheinsideofthe
hood (squid body). Rinse hood well.3
Justbelowtheeyes,cutthe
tentaclesfromthehead;these
canbereservedforcooking.Using
yourfingers,pushoutthehardblack
beakinthe centre of the tentacles.4
Pullmembraneawayfromthe
hoodandflaps.Washhoodand
flapswell.Tohelpwithgripping,dip
your fingers in salt if needed.●Howtomakesaltandpeppersquid
1 Cut4 smallsquidhoodsdownoneside, openoutandpatdry.Scorethe
insides lightlywitha smallsharpknifeina criss-crosspattern,withoutcutting
allthewaythrough, thencutinto2.5cmx 5cmpieces. 2 Heat5cmvegetable
oilina wokorlargesaucepanovermedium-highheatto180°C. 3 Crush1 tsp
seasaltflakes,½tspblackpeppercornsand½tspSichuanpeppercornswith
a mortarandpestleuntilfinelyground,thencombinehalfwith75gm(1/2cup)
cornflourina shallowbowl;reserveremainingspicemix. 4 Lightlywhisk 2
eggwhitesina shallowbowl.Dipsquidineggwhite,thenincornflourmixture
tocoatthoroughly,shakingoffanyexcess,anddeep-fryinbatches,stirringto
preventcatching,untillightgoldenandcookedthrough(2-4minutes).Remove
witha slottedspoonanddrainonpapertowels. 5 Seasonsquidwithremaining
spicemixtureandscatteroverslicedredchilliandspringonion.PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN PAUL URIZAR & JAMES MOFFATT. STYLIST OLIVIA BLACKMORE. GOURMET TRAVELLER 55
Masterclass