Easy homemade salt and pepper squid

Tam West

This favourite pass-around party food is hot, crisp, tasty and incredibly easy to make. The squid can be cut and kept on paper towels in the fridge until needed and the dipping sauce can be prepared in advance. Look for frozen, fully cleaned squid tubes. They are so convenient, defrost quickly in cold running water and slice easily into perfect rings.

Ingredients

½ cup	Cornflour
½ cup	Plain flour
2 tsp	Salt
1 tsp	White pepper
1 tsp	Chinese five spice
1 Ltr	Vegetable oil, for frying
400 g	Squid tubes, sliced into rings (Main)
1	Egg white, lightly whisked
1	Lime, cut into wedges
¼ cup	Spring onions, sliced

Lime dipping sauce

3 Tbsp	Lime juice
3 Tbsp	Soy sauce
2 Tbsp	Sweet chilli sauce
½ tsp	Garlic, grated
½ tsp	Ginger, peeled and grated
1 Tbsp	Chopped fresh coriander, leaves and stalks

Directions

1. Heat oil to 180C in a deep pot, wok or deep fryer.
2. Mix the cornflour, plain flour, salt, pepper and five-spice in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Line a tray with paper towels. Test the oil is hot enough with a cube of bread — it should brown in about 15 seconds.
4. Toss the squid in batches in the egg white, then lift out and drop into the seasoning mix, coat well then shake off any excess, and carefully place in the oil. Fry in batches until lightly golden and crisp, 2-3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to lift out the squid and drain on a tray lined with extra paper towels.
5. Serve the squid garnished with lime wedges and sliced spring onion, with lime dipping sauce on the side.
6. To make the lime dipping sauce mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.

See more of Geoff's seafood recipes

• Hot smoked salmon
• Paella