I called this “Squid Surprise” because it was so full of surprises. I was surprised it took all day to make. I was surprised when the whole big trayfull of it was gobbled up in just five minutes. And I was amazed by how good it was.
True, it’s just ordinary fried squid rings, available in any seafood restaurant. But it was my only culinary triumph, never to be repeated.
1 pound frozen squid
breading, whatever kind you like
If you are sane you can buy frozen squid rings. But back when I made this dish, they weren’t so easy to come by. I had to settle for a solid block of whole frozen squid.
Thaw under cold running water. It will take you quite a while to thaw the squid to the point that you can separate them.
Cut off the heads (actually, you can use them–and most people do), dig into the tubes, and remove all the guts. Be sure to remove that thing that looks like a piece of cellophane. It serves to stiffen the squid’s body, and tastes like cellophane.
Now cut the tubes into rings. This, too, will take a while. And once you’ve got all the rings you want, apply the breading.
Next, fry them. I used a frying pan full of oil. Yes, it spattered all over the top of the stove.
How long to fry them? Depends on how you want them to taste. Keep tasting as you fry, and once you’re satisfied, stop frying.
Place them on paper towels to sop up the oil.
If the breading you used has its own flavors and spices, voila. It it was plain, you can flavor the rings with lemon juice. Or you can just enjoy the delicate flavor of the squid as is.
Like I said, it took me all the livelong day to do this, and the people at the party wolfed them down in just a couple of minutes–which is why I never did it again.