Recipes
Salt and pepper squid
Light, crunchy, and satisfying. This is a dredge batter (so it puffs up in the fryer and gives you all those little crispy bits you want). It’s also a versatile and works well as a batter for vegetable, fish, southern fried-style chicken, and even enoki mushrooms for a vegan-friendly swap.
Serves
4 as a snack or starter
Prep time
10 minutes
Cook time
2-3 minutes
Ingredients
Squid
-
400g baby squid, cleaned (tubes and tentacles)
Dredge batter
-
100g cornflour
-
100g gluten free self-raising flour (we used Dove’s Farm Free Gluten Free self-raising flour).
-
Sea salt
-
150ml milk (you can use oat milk or soy if you would like to use a dairy-free milk)
To finish
-
2 spring onions, finely sliced
-
1 red chilli, finely sliced
-
Sea salt
-
Ground black pepper
For frying
-
Neutral oil (rapeseed or sunflower), enough for deep frying
Method
In a bowl, mix the cornflour and self-raising flour (50/50). Season with salt.
Pat the baby squid dry with kitchen paper. This helps the coating stick and stay crisp.
Toss the squid in the flour and cornflour mix until evenly coated, then shake off excess.
Quickly toss the coated squid in the milk.
Return the squid to the dredge for a second coating, then shake off any loose flour. That double coat is what gives you the extra crispy layer.
Heat oil until very hot (for guidance, many kitchens aim for around 180°C, but the key is hot oil – the squid should puff up immediately).
Fry the squid in batches for about 1 minute, just until puffed and lightly golden.
Lift out, drain well, then put into a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss together immediately (this needs to be still warm so the seasoning will stick).
Add to a plate straight away and garnish with spring onions and chilli. Plate up and eat straight away.
More mouthwatering recipes
Foolproof fish batter
Extra crispy outside. Moist, flaky fish inside. This is one of those simple kitchens wins that feels a bit magic.
Coffee and chocolate brownies
Rich, fudgy chocolate brownies made with used coffee grounds. A simple zero-waste recipe that transforms surplus coffee into a deeply
Vegetable pakoras with roasted apple chutney
A zero-waste recipe using vegetable trimmings. These vegetable pakoras are a brilliant way to use up surplus veg and are
Fruit Tea Stock (Zero‑Waste Smoothie Base)
A gently spiced fruit stock made from surplus fruit skins and trimmings. Naturally sweet, aromatic and perfect as a zero-waste