Mention squid and almost everyone goes “Yuck! Aaaag!” You get the message. Still, as mentioned in prior posts, squid (or calamari) is a dish favored throughout the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. It is also popular in Asian cuisine as well, as noted in the recipe given below. It’s simple and quick, and delicious, with a mild sweet taste.

We are fortunate that today, in most markets and stores, you can buy squid cleaned and prepared. So you don’t have to go through all the drudgery as in the old days when you had to cut the squid apart, scrape and discard the innards, remove the outer membrane and clean the squid thoroughly. When you buy cleaned squid, they come with tubes and tentacles. All you have to do is rinse them in water, slice and cook. That’s it. In this recipe, you add a little soy sauce, vegetable or peanut oil and a few drops of sesame oil. The natural accompaniment to this dish is plain boiled rice. This time around, we had some plantains on hand so we paired them with tostones, deep-fried plantains. For a recipe on tostones, check my post of 09/09/10.

SQUID WITH SOY SAUCE  AND OIL

Ingredients:

1 pound cleaned squid
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons vegetable or peanut oil
Few drops of sesame oil

Instructions:

  1. Rinse squid under cold running water. Slice tubes and tentacles into bit-sized pieces.
  2.  Fill a large saucepan two-thirds full with water and bring to a boil. Drop the squid into the water and cook about 1 minute over medium heat, stirring lightly with a wooden spoon. The squid pieces will curl up like cylinders, and you can check for doneness by cutting through a piece. The squid should be opaque all the way through. Do not over cook or they will become tough.
  3.  Drain the squid and shake out any excess water. Transfer to a serving bowl, and toss with the soy sauce, oil, and sesame oil. Serve immediately.
    Yield: 4 servings.