Recipe - Crispy Squid with Wasabi Mayonnaise

Crispy Squid

• 500 grams squid tubes
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 4 tablespoons semolina
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 100g salad leaves
• 4 lemon wedges, to serve
• Cooking oil for frying

Wasabi Mayonnaise

• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon wasabi paste
• 1 free-range egg, plus 1 yolk
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 cup (250ml) extra virgin olive oil

Method

Mayonnaise

1. Sauté garlic in butter over low heat for about 10 minutes, or until soft and golden brown.
2. Place garlic in a blender with wasabi paste, whole egg, egg yolk and lemon juice. Puree until smooth, then slowly drizzle in olive oil while pulsing. Season to taste.
3. Alternatively, stir 1 finely chopped garlic clove and 1 teaspoon wasabi paste into 1 cup whole-egg mayonnaise

Squid

1. Place enough oil in a wok, large saucepan or deep-fat fryer to come halfway up the pan. Place over a medium heat, while it’s left to warm up, cut the cleaned squid into 1-2cm rings. If the squid is rather large, you can slide a sharp knife along one side of the squid tube to open. Lay the tube flat and score it diagonally and then again in the opposite direction to form a diamond pattern. Then slice the scored squid into small pieces.
2. Place the cornflour, semolina, pepper, paprika salt and cayenne into a large zip lock bag.
3. Add the squid and then toss to coat. Set aside.
4. To test when the oil is ready for frying, drop a small cube of bread into the hot oil. It should become golden and crispy in 1 minute.
5. Fry the squid until the crust is golden and crunchy when you tap it using tongs, about 2-3 minutes. You might have to do this in a few batches so you don’t over crowd the pan.
6. Remove from the oil and briefly drain on kitchen paper before serving with the wasabi mayonnaise, salad, a dust of paprika and some lemon wedges.

Recipe complements of AFMA’s Drita