Salt and Pepper Squid

Lunch | Chinese

Prep time: 30 min Cook time: 15 min Servings: 2

Salt and pepper squid shows up on almost every pub and restaurant menu in Australia, and this version is Cantonese-style. The squid is coated in rice flour, fried until crisp, then tossed through a hot wok with garlic, chilli and spring onion and seasoned with white pepper and MSG. I pair it with a homemade sweet and sour dipping sauce that is tangy, a little spicy, and cuts straight through the richness of the fried squid.

Most versions in Australia come with lemon and aioli, which is closer to the Italian fritto misto style. I prefer the Cantonese approach: deeply savoury, a little sticky from the wok, and finished with that sharp heat from the white pepper. The key to getting it right at home is hot oil, dry squid, and serving it straight from the wok the moment the coating is still crispy.

Ingredient Notes

Squid: Buy whole squid from a fishmonger and ask them to clean it, which saves a lot of prep work. A 500g cleaned weight typically requires around 700g whole. You can also buy pre-cleaned squid tubes if you don’t want to deal with the tentacles. Either way, dry the squid well with paper towel after cleaning. Any surface moisture will stop the rice flour coating from sticking properly and the result will be soggy rather than crispy.

Rice flour: Rice flour is what gives the coating that light, crispy texture. It absorbs less oil than plain flour and stays crunchier for longer once fried. Look for it in Asian grocery stores or the health food aisle of most supermarkets. Don’t substitute plain flour as the coating will be noticeably heavier and less delicate.

Chinese cooking wine: Shaoxing wine adds depth and savouriness to the squid before frying. Dry sherry is a good substitute if you can’t find it. It’s widely available at Asian grocery stores.

Equipment you'll need

Deep fryer or large deep saucepan
Wok
Wire rack
Large mixing bowls
Kitchen thermometer
Chopping board and knife

Ingredients

Squid
500g squid, cleaned
1 egg
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
300g rice flour
sea salt and ground white pepper, to season
peanut oil (or other neutral oil) for deep frying
4 cloves garlic
2 long red chillies
6 spring onions
1g MSG
Sweet & Sour Sauce
12 cloves garlic
2 long red chillies
2 long green chillies
50g caster sugar
100ml rice wine vinegar
2g chilli flakes
10g sea salt

Directions

Make the sauce
Finely chop the garlic and chillies and place in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar, vinegar, chilli flakes and sea salt and place over a high heat.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken.
Transfer the sauce to a sterilised jar and set aside to cool.
Prep the Squid
Separate the squid tubes from the tentacles. Cut the tentacles off just below the beak. You can feel the hard little nub where the tentacles meet. Discard the beak and anything above it.
Reach inside the tube and pull out the clear plastic-like quill (also called the pen). Discard it. Peel away and discard the thin purple membrane from the outside of the tubes. It should pull off easily with your fingers or the tip of a knife.
Run a sharp knife through the tube to open it up flat. Pat the inside dry with paper towel.
Score the inside squid tubes with a diamond pattern 3-5mm wide. Slice the tubes lengthways into 3 long thick strips, then into 5cm (2 in) wide pieces. Slice the tentacles into bite sized pieces, scraping away as many of the suckers as you can so they fry cleanly.
Add the squid to a bowl with the egg and Chinese cooking wine and mix well.
Place the rice flour in a large bowl and season with salt and white pepper . Toss the squid slices in the rice flour, until they are completely coated. Leave on a wire rack over a tray until ready to cook.
Cook the Squid
Preheat the peanut oil to 180°C (355°C) in a deep fryer or deep pan.
While the oil is heating, finely chop the garlic, and thinly slice the red chillies and green onions.
Heat a dry wok over high heat. Add the garlic, chillies and green onions and stir fry briefly until fragrant, then leave in the wok.
Deep fry the squid in batches for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Drain on a wire rack over a tray.
Add the squid to the wok with the garnish. Season with salt, white pepper and MSG. Toss quickly to coat, then serve immediately with the sauce on the side for dipping.

Recipe notes

Chef Tips

Score the squid for maximum crunch

Score the inside of each squid tube with a diamond pattern cut 2-3mm deep. This increases the surface area that hits the hot oil, which means more crunch all over. Don’t cut all the way through. The scored pieces will also curl up nicely once they hit the oil, which makes them look great on the plate.

Dry the squid before coating

After prepping, pat the squid dry with paper towel, including the tentacles. This is the most important step for a crispy result. Surface moisture creates steam in the fryer, which softens the coating rather than crisping it. If the squid looks wet when it goes into the flour, dry it again.

Fry in batches and keep the oil hot

Adding too much squid at once drops the oil temperature sharply. When the oil is too cool the squid absorbs more oil and steams rather than fries, and you lose the crunch. Work in small batches and let the oil come back to 180°C (355°F) between each one. A thermometer makes this easy to manage.

Storage

Salt and pepper squid is best eaten immediately from the fryer while it is still hot and crispy. The coating softens quickly once it sits. The sweet and sour sauce will keep in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to two weeks.

FAQs

Can I make this ahead of time? The sweet and sour sauce can be made up to two weeks ahead and stored in a sealed jar in the fridge. The squid is best fried and eaten immediately as it loses its crunch quickly. You can score and prep the squid a few hours ahead and keep it refrigerated until ready to cook.

Can I make it gluten free? Yes, this recipe is gluten free as written. Rice flour is naturally gluten free. Just check the label on your Chinese cooking wine, as some brands contain additives. Tamari can be used in place of soy sauce if needed.

What is the difference between squid and calamari? Squid and calamari come from the same family but are different species. In everyday cooking the names are often used interchangeably. Calamari tends to be more tender, while squid can have a slightly tougher bite. Either works well in this recipe.