I love demo-ing this recipe because I think home cooks are slightly afraid of squid; they think it’s a restaurant kind of dish. But you can usually find it pre-cleaned, it’s really easy to prepare, and it’s super-simple to cook.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 20 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons water
- 8 ounces bacon, cut into ½-inch strips
- 6 squid, fresh, bodies and tentacles
- 1/2 Granny Smith apple
- 1 ginger, 1-inch piece
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 dash Pepper
- 1 watercress, bunch
Instructions
- Make the tahini vinaigrette: In a bowl whisk tahini, sesame oil, vinegar, and lemon juice until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, taste, then add just enough water (up to 3 tablespoons) to thin it to a vinaigrette consistency. Set aside.
- Cook the bacon, squid and assemble the salad: In a dry skillet over medium/high heat, sauté the bacon for 5 minutes until it’s slightly crispy and most of the fat has rendered out. Meanwhile, slice the squid bodies into rings and cut the tentacles in half. Set aside. Grate half of the Granny Smith apple into a bowl. Mix 2 tablespoons of the grated apple with 2 teaspoons of the grated ginger (At this point, you’ll need to work quickly so the apple and ginger don’t oxidize). Set aside. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel to drain. Remove all but 2 teaspoons of the bacon fat from the skillet. Heat the bacon fat over medium high heat and sauté the squid stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, lemon juice, and the cooked bacon. Stir, then serve on a bed of watercress. Drizzle with a spoonful of tahini vinaigrette and garnish with the grated apple/ginger. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 246 |
| Total Fat | 18 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 15 g |
| Cholesterol | 167 mg |
| Sodium | 337 mg |