Get past the 'ick factor' to cook squid (+recipe)

Fried calamari is insanely popular. Photo / Thinkstock

I say squid, you say calamari. Whatever you want to call it, this tentacled mollusc might just be the most delicious, healthiest - and easiest - protein that you're probably not cooking.

Fried calamari is insanely popular. Yet relatively few restaurants, and even fewer home cooks, seem to be familiar with the culinary potential of baking, braising or sauteing squid.

Cooked badly, squid can be tough, chewy and totally unappetising. For some, there's also the ick factor of all those tentacles. But cooking squid well is incredibly simple. Like many other molluscs, squid are best cooked either "barely and briefly" or "for a long time to break down the collagen", says Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen.

Deep-fried squid is typically tender because it's cooked quickly over high heat. But other cooking methods will produce delicious-tasting squid without packing on extra, empty calories from all that crumbing.

Sauteed squid is tender, but with a pleasant bite, almost like pasta cooked al dente. Stewed squid, which typically is simmered in liquid for an hour or more, is much softer and silkier, as the collagen dissolves into gelatin.

Squid itself is high in omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamin B-12 and selenium. It's also a pretty good source of potassium and iron, and it's low in calories and saturated fat. It is, however, relatively high in cholesterol, so if your doctor has recommended moderating your dietary cholesterol, you should discuss whether squid could be a healthful addition to your diet.

As for the ick factor, at many fish counters you can buy just the bodies, which can be sliced into white rings that are no scarier-looking than pasta. Squid is available cleaned and ready-to-cook at a number of grocery stores and fish markets.

Buttery, garlicky, spicy calamari with couscous

This dish is packed with fresh flavours, and once the prep is done, it comes together in about 10 minutes. Delicious, healthy, inexpensive and quick enough for the busiest weeknight? Absolutely brilliant.

Serves 4

1-1/2 cups couscous
2-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
450g squid, cut into 1.25-centimetre pieces and patted very dry
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
Large pinch (or more) red-pepper flakes
3 large garlic cloves, minced
Large pinch coarse salt
Large pinch freshly ground black pepper
Freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste

1 In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the couscous until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain well, toss with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and keep warm.

2 In a very large frying pan over high heat, heat the remaining oil until it begins to smoke. Carefully add the squid, butter, parsley, basil, red-pepper flakes and garlic (if your pan is small, you may have to do this in two batches; you don't want it too full to toss).

3 Cook, tossing frequently, until the squid is opaque and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.

4 Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Add the couscous to the pan and toss until incorporated.

- AAP