Salt and chilli squid is the starter people fight over, and the version most of us grew up with comes from Cantonese kitchens, where salt and pepper seasoning meets a screaming hot wok. The restaurant secret is not a fancy batter. It is a dry cornflour coating, properly hot oil and a fast toss with aromatics at the end.
Ours comes out of the kitchen with the squid crisp, the chilli fresh and the seasoning clinging to every edge. Here is how to get the same result on a home hob.
Ingredients
- 400g squid tubes, cleaned and scored, cut into bite-size pieces
- 60g cornflour
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp Chinese five spice
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
- Neutral oil, for deep frying
For the wok toss
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1 red chilli, finely sliced
- 3 spring onions, sliced
- Half a small onion, diced
- Pinch of salt, pinch of five spice, to finish
Method
1. Dry the squid
Pat the squid completely dry with kitchen paper. Moisture is the enemy of crispness, and a wet surface turns the cornflour to paste before it hits the oil.
2. Coat in seasoned cornflour
Mix the cornflour, salt, five spice and white pepper in a bowl. Toss the squid through the mix just before frying, shaking off the excess. Coat in batches so the pieces stay separate.
3. Fry hot and fast
Heat the oil to 170-180C in a deep pan or wok. Fry the squid in two or three small batches for about 60 to 90 seconds each, until pale gold and crisp. Overcrowd the pan and the temperature drops, and squid that cooks too long turns rubbery. Drain on kitchen paper.
4. The wok toss
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a clean wok over the highest heat. Add the garlic, chilli, onion and spring onion and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. Return the fried squid, hit it with a final pinch of salt and five spice, toss for another 30 seconds and serve immediately.
Tips from the kitchen
- Score the inside of the squid tubes in a diamond pattern so the pieces curl and hold the seasoning.
- No thermometer? Drop in a cube of bread. If it browns in about 20 seconds, the oil is ready.
- Serve within minutes. Salt and chilli squid does not wait for stragglers.
Rather we made it for you?
Or skip the deep-fat drama: salt and chilli squid is on the Aluna starters menu, fried to order. See the full food menu or book a table, Angel.