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Ruchik Randhap

Food & Memories of Mangalore

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Squid (Calamari) Butter Garlic – When the Hubby Cooks!

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I love Thursdays! It’s the day when I can finally unwind after a maddening week. School routine here is killing! What with the waking up at 5 a.m (which is midnight for me) and packing the lunch box and coaxing the little fellow out of bed and prepping him up for the long day at school that awaits him. On days like these, especially if I’v not had proper sleep, I can’t wait to kiss him goodbye at the bus stop and come back to snooze for another hour and a half if not more. Life is even better when the hubby offers to whip up the main course for the day’s meal and I just have to get the carbs ready and maybe a dal to go with it.

Although I am allergic to prawns and crabs (one reason why you may rarely see their recipes on the blog) I am thankfully not allergic to squid which I totally love. Infact, I tasted squid when I was doing my M.B.A and my bunch of friends and I visited this little restaurant somewhere between Mangalore and Konaje (I have forgotten the names of the places although it was my daily route shuttling between home and college). Since I was younger and bolder and didn’t care if I could die if I ate something out of my comfort zone I simply gorged on the squid. The Shireen of today may not have had the guts to do so because by now I have read up a lot more on food intolerance and how, depending on the severity it can be the cause of one’s sudden death.

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Anyway, I am glad that I did what I did and I am glad that I didn’t die eating the squid, cuz if I did, there would be neither this blog nor this dish staring at you today 🙂 Coming to the point, the reason why Roshan makes squid despite the fact that I can cook it (unlike prawn which I can’t even touch) is that firstly, he is an excellent cook. Secondly, he can dish out seafood much better than I can. So I stick to making the rice and dal. Haha! I did however, try my had at cooking squid when I was in Mumbai. It was the first year of our marriage and it was our first time ever buying, cleaning and cooking squid. It was a nice recipe from a Goan cook book but the squid was overcooked and a big disaster. Later I saw some tips on the net that squid takes either 2-3 minutes to cook or over 2 hours (damage control which doesn’t really work you know). So please be cautious when you cook squid at home. Keep all necessary ingredients ready and then start the process and be vigilant! All the best!
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Squid (Calamari) Butter Garlic

Prep time (doesn’t include time to clean the fish): 10-15 mins | Cook time: under 5 mins | Serves 2-3Ingredients:

  • 200 – 250 grams of squid/calamari (approx 2 medium sized)
  • 8 big cloves of garlic finely chopped (approx 2-3 tablespoons)
  • 4-5 cubes of butter (the size of sugar cubes, approx 1 tsp per cube)
  • 2-3 tablespoons of lime juice (Add 1 tsp of olives / caper brine – optional)
  • freshly ground pepper (approx ½ teaspoon or to taste)
  • 3 tablespoons of fresh coriander or parsley finely chopped
  • 1 tbs of olive oil (not extra virgin)
  • salt to taste

For garnishing:

  • 1 tablespoon of spring onion greens finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon of chilli/paprika flakes

 

Method
1. Clean the squid and cut it into rings. Keep aside on a colander till required.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan that is big enough to accommodate the squid without over crowding the pan. Set the heat on a high and when the oil is really hot (but not smoking!) add the squid and spread it evenly on the pan. Sprinkle salt to taste and let it fry for about a minute.
3. Next, add the garlic and crushed pepper and stir fry the squid for about a minute
4. Toss in the fresh coriander or parsley and the lime juice and stir for about half a minute
5. Now add half of the butter and salt only if required (only if you have used unsalted butter) and mix well till all the butter is melted.
6. Finally, reduce the heat and add the remaining butter. When it has melted, garnish with spring onions greens and chili flakes.
7. Remove from heat and serve hot with rice as an accompaniment to a meal or just as a party starter.Note:
1. Once the squid has been cleaned the preparation of this dish does not take long as squid ideally needs just a few minutes to cook. When over cooked it tends to turn chewy and rubbery.

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Comments

  1. Ri says

    Hello. Thanks for posting your recipe. I've been looking for a good butter garlic squid recipe and this one seems to be one of the better ones out there. I do have just one question, though. Why not fry the garlic in the butter first and then add the squid? It seems like that might be a more effective way of infusing the garlic flavour into the squid. Just curious. Also, who is Ruchik, then? 😀

    Reply

    • Lily says

      But if we cook squides direct it becomes rubbery.How about steaming it first and then cooking for that softness of the squides

      Reply

      • Shireen Sequeira says

        Squid turns rubbery only when overcooked. The thumb rule is to cook it for 2-3 minutes only. I have not tried the steaming method

        Reply

  11. Ginza George says

    Great recipe. I used paprika not chilli flakes second time I made today. Kids love this and such a breeze to make it. Yes if not overcooked squids remain soft. Thank you!

    Reply