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Stuffed Squid


Hallie

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Yesterday I ran out and bought several small squid after tasting what must have been the most mouth watering squid dish I've ever had. London e-gulleters will know about Carluccio's deli on Neal Street - they came from behind the counter there (if anyone else has had the joy of discovering them you'll know what I'm referring to). Now, perhaps rather fool heartedly, I'm going to attempt to recreate what I've tried. Basically the squid tubes were stuffed with a mixture of bread crumbs, olive oil, lots of garlic and artichoke hearts. They came on a bed of thinly sliced sauteed potatoes. The problem is, I'm not sure exactly how they cooked the squid - no grill marks were apparent, neither was there evidence of pan frying. My guess is that they were steamed (maybe baked? Probably not..?). They were still quite tender. I know when it comes to cooking squid there is a very fine line between rubbery and just right - this was just right.

Can anyone give me a suggestion for what to do after stuffing; steam? Bake? Pan fry? If so for how long and at what temp?

Thanks!

Edited by Hallie (log)
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In my experience, I usually bake/braise squid. A moist cook keeps the meat from becoming rubbery before it is done, so to say. I cook mine to around 145 to 150, not much more. And it shouldn't take too long, maybe 20 minutes, depending on the stove.

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I saw Mario Batali cook stuffed squid on his Multo Mario TV program. He made the comment that squid must be cooked in one of two ways, either quickly or long and slow. His stuffed squid were pan sauteed then cooked for about an hour and a half in the oven. I have never done it though.

Cheers,

HC

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I've seen a couple of Japanese recipes for stuffed squid. In one, the squid is stuffed with the cooked tentacles, naganegi (long Japanese onions), and flavorings and then quickly broiled.

In the other, the squid is stuffed with uncooked glutinous (mochi) rice and then simmered in a soy/sake/mirin mixture. The one recipe of this that I have seen calls for a pressure cooker, but I don't see why it couldnt be done in a regular pot.

So, obviously, we have one example of a short cooking and one of a longer, drawn out slow cooking. I think which one you're going to want to choose will be based around the state of your stuffing, whether it's already cooked or not, how much you want the flavors to meld, etc.

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They say squid should be cooked for 40 seconds or 40 minutes; nothing in between. Stuffing will stretch this 40 seconds up to several minutes, depending on density and wetness of the stuffing.

The long slow cooking is best for large squid bodies. Turn them inside out to clean them, by the way.

Your small squid should be stuffed and sealed with a wet toothpick and fried or roasted for 3 to 6 minutes. In this case the stuffing should be pre-cooked.

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Your small squid should be stuffed and sealed with a wet toothpick and fried or roasted for 3 to 6 minutes. In this case the stuffing should be pre-cooked.

What temperature for roasting and should I add any juices/liquid to the roasting tin?

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If you are stuffing raw squid then you need to make sure you bring the internal temp of the stuffing to 160 degrees, to ensure it is safe to eat. In school we were told "2 minutes or 2 hours". So cook them in a 325 degree oven, just swimming in what ever liquid you want, covered tightly with a lid, for 2 hours. It helps to saute them lightly before you braise them to seal in the juices.

Edited by chefdg (log)

"He could blanch anything in the fryolator and finish it in the microwave or under the salamander. Talented guy."

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Your small squid should be stuffed and sealed with a wet toothpick and fried or roasted for 3 to 6 minutes.  In this case the stuffing should be pre-cooked.

What temperature for roasting and should I add any juices/liquid to the roasting tin?

If you are going for the quick cooking method, crank your oven up to 230C and have some oil or good lard. You could add a knob of butter for the last couple of minutes.

Start with your stuffing at no less than room temperature and don't pack it in too tightly. Season well.

You could try different methods, in batches, but you can cook an octopus in two hours :hmmm:

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I often stuff medium sized squid with a mixture of Chinese greens, chiles, black beans, ginger,etc, then steam them in a bamboo steamer for 7 to 8 minutes and they come out wonderfully tender....

When doing it Japanese style I usually braise them for more like 40 minutes....

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Unfortunately things did not turn out as well as I had hoped. I really botched the stuffing - too much liquid made it pulpy rather than stuffing like. I think I also over-stuffed the squid and the texture didn't turn out as I had hoped. I'm not sure they were the greatest quality squid either. Next time I'm going to try a steaming method.

Oh well, as they say, practice makes perfect. In the mean time, next time I fancy them I'll have to pay a visit to Carluccio's Deli.

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