Pan-Fried Squid
Squid runs on a two-minute rule: the collagen in its muscle contracts with heat, and past two minutes it turns rubbery. After that only long cooking helps — forty minutes, during which that same collagen breaks down into gelatine. Between two minutes and forty there is no squid worth eating.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Servings
- 4
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 220 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: 4 portions
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
-
Step 1: Clean the squid
Pull out the quill and innards and peel off the membrane. Thaw frozen squid in the fridge rather than warm water, which tightens it before it ever reaches the pan.
-
Step 2: Cut into rings
Slice the tubes into 1.5 cm rings. Thinner ones overcook before you can turn them.
-
Step 3: Dry them thoroughly
Blot the rings completely dry. Wet squid floods the pan and boils in its own liquid instead of frying.
-
Step 4: Get the pan as hot as it goes
The oil should just shimmer. Only a very hot pan will colour squid within the two minutes it has.
-
Step 5: Fry in batches, 2 minutes
Lay the rings out in a single layer and fry 2 minutes, turning once. A crowded pan loses heat and the squid starts to boil.
-
Step 6: Season off the heat
Take the pan off and add the garlic, chilli, lemon juice, salt and parsley. Garlic in a screaming-hot pan burns in 20 seconds and turns bitter.
Tips & variations
-
Tip
Squid shrinks, which is normal. What is not normal is curling into a tight spiral: that means it is already overcooked.
-
Tip
If you do overcook it, do not throw it out. Add 200 ml of water or wine, cover and stew 40 minutes: the collagen breaks down and it goes tender again.
-
Variation
Battered: toss the rings in cornflour with salt and deep-fry 90 seconds at 180 °C. Cornflour, not wheat flour, gives the crisp shell.
-
Storage
Eat at once — squid starts firming up on the plate within five minutes. Reheating is pointless.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 4 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 220 kcal | 880 kcal |
| Protein | 24 g | 96 g |
| Fat | 12 g | 48 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4 g | 16 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
Cooked it? Rate the recipe
No ratings yet — yours will be the first.
