Small squid carefully dried, lightly floured, and fried at very high heat, served piping hot with garlic, parsley, and lemon.
Ingredients
- 1.8 kg whole cleaned fresh baby squid
- 220 g T55 all-purpose flour
- 2 l peanut oil for frying
- 4 cloves fresh garlic
- 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 pieces lemons
- 12 g fine salt
- 2 g ground black pepper
Method
- Check that the baby squid are clean: remove the cartilaginous quill, the beak, and any internal residue. Keep the small bodies and the tentacles whole. Rinse them very quickly under cold water without letting them soak.
- Drain the squid, then meticulously pat them dry between several layers of paper towels. Let them dry in the refrigerator on a clean cloth while you prepare the persillade. Their surface should be as dry as possible.
- Peel the garlic, remove the germ if developed, and mince it very finely. Pick the parsley leaves, dry them thoroughly, and finely chop them. Mix the garlic and parsley together without adding oil. Cut the lemons into wedges.
- Heat the oil in a deep fryer or deep Dutch oven to 180 °C. Do not fill the Dutch oven more than halfway, and keep a lid nearby. Never use water near hot oil.
- Lightly season the squid with a portion of the salt and the pepper. Toss them in the flour just before cooking, making sure to coat both the bodies and the tentacles. Shake them vigorously in a strainer to remove any excess: the flour should form a thin veil, not a thick paste.
- Plunge the squid into the oil in small batches so the temperature does not drop. Fry them very briefly, until they shrink, turn slightly golden, and have a dry, crisp surface. Depending on their size, cooking takes about 60 to 90 seconds.
- Remove each batch with a slotted spoon, let the oil drain over the fryer, then place the squid on a wire rack. Bring the oil back to 180 °C before cooking the next batch. Do not pile the squid on paper towels, as the steam will make their coating soggy.
- Gather the still-hot squid in a warm serving dish. Immediately add the persillade and the remaining salt, then toss briskly so the heat releases the aromas of the garlic and parsley without cooking them excessively.
- Serve without delay, with the lemon wedges on the side. Diners can squeeze the lemon over the squid at the last moment to preserve the crispy crust.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 781.3 kcal
- Protein
- 82.31 g
- Carbohydrate
- 53.13 g
- Fat
- 27.02 g
- Fibre
- 3.76 g
- Calcium
- 22.46 mg
- Iron
- 0.77 mg
- Magnesium
- 21.55 mg
