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Ras el hanout dusted crispy squid and seaweed with preserved lemon aïoli
Serves 4-6 as tapas Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 650g (cleaned weight) medium-sized squid with tentacles, cleaned and prepared
- 11/2tsp ras el hanout, plus extra for sprinkling
- 11⁄2tsp sea salt crystals
- 55g ‘00’ flour
- 55g cornflour
- 500ml sunflower oil, for deep-frying
For the aioli
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 preserved lemon, flesh removed and skin finely chopped
- 6tbsp good-quality mayonnaise
To serve
- 4 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 2-3 long red chillies, sliced into thin rings
- few tbsp Korean seasoned seaweed flakes, to serve
Method
Cut the prepared squid tubes into 1cm rings. Leave the tentacles whole if small, otherwise cut in half. Roughly dry with kitchen paper and spread out on a baking tray.
Grind the ras el hanout with the sea salt crystals ensuring that any rose within the mix is crushed well, and rub all but 1⁄2tsp of the mix onto the squid. Combine the flour and cornflour, then sift onto a separate baking tray.
To make the aïoli, mix the garlic and preserved lemon skin into the mayonnaise and spoon into small bowls. Sprinkle a thin line of the ras el hanout mixture over the top.
Pour the sunflower oil into a wok or deep-sided pan and heat until it reaches 160C or until a cube of bread turns golden in a few seconds. Add the spring onions and cook for a few minutes, taking care they don’t brown too much, then use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper. Repeat with the chillies.
Increase the heat of the oil to 180C. Taking a batch of squid at a time, toss in the flour mixture to coat evenly, shaking off any excess flour. Fry for 3-4 minutes until golden and crispy, then use a slotted spoon to transfer to a clean baking tray lined with kitchen paper.
Pile onto a platter while still hot, sprinkle with a little extra ras el hanout and scatter over the spring onion, chilli and Korean seaweed flakes. Serve with the aïoli on the side.
Cook’s note
A medium-sized cleaned squid, without tentacles, weighs around 100g.
This recipe featured in the May/June 2021 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.
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