Fried Salt and Pepper Squid

There are many different recipes for fried squid and if you are short of ingredients, this salt and pepper squid recipe is for you. The simplest thing almost always tastes the best. This dish is best to be enjoyed with chili or tomato ketchup sauce.

• 300 g young squid, each about 4 to 5 cm long,cleaned
• 3 cups vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 75 g cornflour
• 1 red chile, very thinly sliced,seeds and all
• 2 green onions, cut into 1 cm pieces

Directions:

1. Slit each squid body open along one side with a sharp knife then score the inside of each in a criss cross pattern.
2. Set aside with the tenticles.
3. Heat 5 cm of Vegetable oil in the base of a deep frying pan.
4. Place the sea salt and the peppercorns in a pestle and mortar and crush coarsely together.
5. stir into the cornflour, then toss with the squid to coat.
6. Cook the chillies and salad onions in the hot oil for 30 seconds then scoop them out with a mesh spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
7. Cook the squid body and tentacles in the pan for 2 minutes until it rolls up and turns crisp and lightly golden.
8. Transfer the squid to a plate, scatter over the crispy chilli and salad onions and serve with soy sauce for drizzling and lemon wedges for squeezing over.