Delicious Stewed Squid Recipes
Battered and fried squid is delicious, but anyone looking for an aromatic and succulent dish should opt for stewed squid. The flavors that come from a sofrito, spices and dry seasoning turn theses recipes into a real palate-pleasers.
If you’re able to clean it, you should buy your seafood whole. If not, just ask your seafood clerk to cut it for you. Maintaining the squid’s flavor and texture is very important.
One of the best parts about squid is that there’s little to waste. Most stew recipes use its ink, legs and tentacles. It’s a fascinating cooking ingredient.
Here are some general tips for cooking with squid:
- First and foremost, don’t overcook it or it’ll get tough or rubbery.
- If you want to flash blanch it, soak it in milk two hours before cooking.
- Most importantly, don’t use squid that’s been sitting in the freezer for longer than 3 months.
- When cooking squid, you can cook it twice. In order words, you can cook them quickly (on the grill, for example). If you briefly cook it on the stove, you have to boil it prior for softer results.
Regardless of your cooking experience, squid recipes are both delicious and healthy. They are nutritious in that they provide proteins and minerals such as iron, iodine and phosphate. In addition, they also have omega 3 and are low in calories.
Let’s take a look at some ideas!
Stewed squid with a side of potatoes
Ingredients
- Water
- Bay leaf
- Potatoes (1 kg)
- Squid (1 kg)
- Garlic (3 cloves, 40 g)
- Salt, pepper (to taste)
- Onion (50 g)
- Red bell pepper (50 g)
- Peeled tomato (50 g)
- White wine (1 cup, 200 ml)
- Green pepper (50 g)
- Oregano (1 teaspoon, 5 mg)
- Olive oil (3 tablespoons, 50 ml)
- Pimentón, or red pepper powder (1 teaspoon, 5 mg)
Preparation
- Wash, clean and part the squid.
- In a frying pan, cook the garlic and onion in the oil. Make sure that you dice the garlic and thinly sliced the onion.
- When the garlic starts to brown, add the peppers, cut into small pieces. Cook until softened.
- Dice the tomatoes and add them to the frying pan. When they start to break down, add the squid and make sure to keep them covered in the sofrito.
- Season with the red pepper power, salt and pepper. Add the bay leaf as well to the mixture.
- Add the wine and water (enough of each so that the squid is covered completely). It should be soft to bite when it’s ready.
- Sprinkling some cilantro leaves on top will take the dish up a notch. Pair with a side of potato cubes, fries or steamed potatoes.
Want to know more?:
Try These Delicious Potatoes Stuffed with Chorizo and Cheese
Succulent stuffed squid
Ingredients
- 1 cup of white wine (200 ml)
- 10 small squids (500 g)
- 1 can of peas (200 g)
- 2 ripe tomatoes (80 g)
- 10 shrimps (300 g)
- Green pepper (60 g)
- Red pepper (60 g)
- 1 cup of rice (200 g)
- 1 large onion (80 g)
- Olive oil
- 4 eggs (100 g)
- Salt (to taste)
- Skewers
Preparation
- Carefully clean the squid. Remove the skin and chop the tentacles into small pieces. Repeat with the shrimp and set aside.
- Dice the vegetables into small cubes and poach in a small pot with olive oil. Add the vegetables to the pot in order: first, the onion, then the peppers and last, the tomato.
- Add a pinch of salt and sugar to eliminate the acid. Cook over low-heat for around 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, add the tentacles to the pot and cook for 10 more minutes. Add the shrimp and let cook for five more minutes. When ready, remove from heat and let cool.
- Take the squid and fill with the sofrito mixture (leave a portion aside for after). After filling the squid, skewer them shut and stir-fry until golden brown in a pan with oil.
- When golden brown, place them in a pot and cover them with the wine and water. Cook for 25 minutes until the squid softens.
- Add the remaining sofrito, peas and rice. Season with salt and wait for the rice to cook.
- Take off heat and serve it however you’d like. Stewed squid is a meal on its own, but you can pair it with salads or fries.
