Salt and Pepper Squid
Lightly coated squid, fried until crisp and tossed with salt, pepper and chilli. A dish with roots in Australia's Chinese restaurants, now a pub favorite.
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total
- 23 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- medium
Salt and pepper squid did not start in an Australian pub, it came out of the country's Chinese restaurants, a Cantonese-style technique that proved popular enough to spread well beyond its original home.
The squid cooks in barely more than a minute once the oil is properly hot, so have everything else, the chili, spring onion and extra seasoning, ready before it goes in.
Part of our 20 best Australian recipes list.
method
Pat the squid pieces completely dry with paper towels.
Mix the cornstarch, rice flour, white pepper, salt and five-spice if using in a bowl.
Heat the frying oil to 190°C (375°F).
Toss the squid pieces through the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.
Fry in small batches for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, until pale golden and crisp. Do not overcook; squid turns rubbery fast.
Drain briefly on paper towels, then toss the hot squid with extra salt, a little more white pepper, the sliced chili and spring onion.
Serve immediately with lemon wedges or aioli.
chef's tips
- This dish has its roots in Australia's Chinese restaurants, a Cantonese-style preparation that became so popular it is now a fixture at pubs and seafood restaurants well beyond its original setting.
- White pepper, not black, is the traditional seasoning here, and it carries a cleaner, sharper heat that suits the dish better.
- Squid cooks in under two minutes at the right oil temperature. Pull it the moment it turns pale gold; a minute more and it turns tough.
- A light, well-shaken-off coating fries up properly crisp. A thick, clumpy coating turns soggy and greasy instead.