Baby Calamari with Sriracha Chilli Sauce

Ingredients

700g cleaned baby squid
100g rice flour
100mL grape seed oil
5g Szechuan pepper
5g Murray River salt flakes
1 bunch watercress, picked
5 limes cut in half

Chilli sauce:

60mL grape seed oil
10 garlic cloves, minced
75mL ginger, minced
75mL Sriracha chilli sauce
50mL soy sauce
50mL rice vinegar
75mL Shaoxing wine
3 Tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
10 spring onions, sliced (green and whites separated)

Method

Sauce (it is best to make the sauce the day before):

In a saucepan heat the oil, add garlic and ginger stirring and cook for 5 minutes.

Add chilli sauce, soy, vinegar, salt and spring onion whites and turn heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally until the mixture is thick and jam like, about 10 minutes. Add the spring onion greens and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside and cool.

To serve:

Score the baby squid with a shape knife about 5mm apart, turn the squid around 90 degrees to repeat.

Dust the baby squid in rice flour.

Heat a saucepan up with the grape seed oil and ensure the oil is hot, drop the baby squid into the pan for 20 seconds. Carefully remove and drain on kitchen paper.

Season the squid with Szechuan pepper and salt flakes.

Divide the chilli sauce onto 10 plates lengthways creating a long base.

Place the calamari on top of the sauce, place the picked watercress across the squid and serve 1/2 lime on each plate.

Recipe provided by JAM

Photo Credits: Matt Merrin