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–+ servings
Freshly fried crunchy squid on top of kitchen paper

Salt and Pepper Squid

Taiwanese fried chicken inspired salt and pepper squid! Tender soft with a crispy coating and infused with aromatic garlic and basil. The perfect appetiser or starter to any meal! Ideally, stick with the Asian theme.
4.86 from 14 votes
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 minutes
Marinate Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 29 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 242kcal

Ingredients

Squid Marinade

  • 2 large squid (or calamari) about 450g/1lbs, cleaned (note 1)
  • 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper

Crispy coating flour mixture

  • ¼ cup flour
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper

Deep frying

  • 1 litre deep frying vegetable oil sunflower or canola (note 2)
  • 3 cloves garlic thinly slice, pat dry with kitchen paper
  • 1 fresh chilli deseed, thinly slice. Pat dry with kitchen paper
  • handful fresh basil leaves Pat dry with kitchen paper

Instructions

  • First, score the squid with criss-cross patterns and then cut into bite-size pieces. (note 3)
  • Combine squid with marinating ingredients, mix well then cover. Marinate for 15 minutes in the fridge.
  • When ready to cook, preheat the oil in a deep pot suitable for frying on high heat.
  • Whilst the oil is heating up, combine the ingredients for the crispy coating, mix well with a fork. Coat each piece of squid well.

If doubling or tripling the portions, fry in 2 and 3 batches respectively.

  • Once the oil has reached the ideal frying temperature (180°C/350°F), add coated squid in the hot oil one at a time. Make sure to lightly dust the coated squid before adding it in. (note 4)
  • Once all of the pieces are in the hot oil, fry on high heat for about 2 minutes, flipping after 1 minute.
  • Now gently, but quickly, add the basil, garlic and chilli into the oil with the squid still inside. IMPORTANT: make sure to add them in all at once then quickly take 3 big steps back, away from the stove. The oil will spit for the first 5 seconds. Once the spitting stops, it'll be safe to move closer to the stove. (note 5)
  • Fry for 1 further minute then remove the now super crispy squid, basil, garlic crisps and chill onto a serving dish lined with kitchen paper. Best use a pair of tongs or a slotted metal spoon.
  • Serve immediately with some extra white pepper.

Notes

Note 1. Cleaning squid at home. Most squid or calamari tubes sold are clean already. If you managed to buy fresh squid, below are the steps to clean them at home:
  1. One hand on the squid head and the other on the tube, gently pull the head (with tentacles) off the squid.
  2. Cut the tentacles off the head, discard the head.
  3. Pull out and discard all the stuff inside the squid tube. Including the backbone, it looks like a long, see-through piece of plastic.
  4. Wash the tube and tentacles, pat dry with kitchen paper.
  5. Now you're ready to rock and roll!
Note 2. Oil for deep frying. 1 litre is a rough estimate, the required amount depends on the size of your pot for frying. You might need more if using a wide pot or less if the pot is smaller.
Note 3. To score squid with criss-cross patterns, follow the below steps.
  1. Cut the squid tube down in the centre so it opens up flat.
  2. With a sharp knife, score the insides of the squid with shallow, diagonal lines with about half a cm (¼ inch) in between the lines.
  3. When making these incisions, hold the knife at an angle with the blade slanted towards your other hand. This takes the pressure off the cutting edge so you don't slice all the way through.
Head on over to the step by step instructions section of my Squid Stir Fry with Celery for image instructions. 
Note 4. The ideal temperature for frying is 180°C/350°F. If you don't have a thermometer at home, below are two easy methods to test if the oil is hot enough:
  • Method A: Get a little, pea-sized piece of bread and add it to the oil. If it sizzles and moves around then the oil is hot enough.
  • Method B (the experienced Asian home cook style): Get a wooden chopstick, put the tip (about 1cm/half an inch) of the chopstick into the oil and if it sizzles then the oil is good to go.
Note 5. The oil WILL SPIT as soon as you add basil, garlic and chilli. No matter how dry the basil is, it will still make the oil spit. So make sure to quickly take 3 large steps back as soon as the basil touches the oil. It may seem a bit intense but it's totally worth it!
Nutritional values below (especially the fat content) are estimates as of course, the majority of the frying oil and about half of the coating mixture will not be consumed.
Tried this recipe?Mention @Casuallypeckish or tag #casuallypeckish!

Nutrition

Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 13.1g | Protein: 18.3g | Fat: 12.5g | Saturated Fat: 1.8g | Cholesterol: 262mg | Sodium: 317mg | Potassium: 302mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg