food safari chinese salt and pepper squid

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

• All Recipes
• Subscribe my Newsletter

Chinese Salt and Pepper Squid

Published: Jan 8, 2023 · Modified: Jan 17, 2023 · by Khin · This post may contain affiliate links.

Easy homemade Chinese salt and pepper squid recipe made with succulent squids/calamari with the best crispy, non-greasy, airy coating and flavourful salt and chilli seasonings. One of the most popular restaurants and takeaways appetizer recipes that everyone loves!

What is Chinese salt and pepper squid?

Why you would love this recipe, essential ingredients, how to make it, how to clean squids, most asked questions.

We love to make simple, delicious, and budget-friendly appetizers at home. Crispy Salt and Pepper Prawns , Salt and pepper wings and Crispy Coconut Prawns are our go-to starter recipes for parties, dinners, and family gatherings!

Salt and pepper squid ( 椒盐鱿鱼 ) is a deep fried crispy coated squid tossed with garlicky, chilli, salt, and pepper seasonings. You can find it in the menu of Cantonese Chinese restaurants and takeaways in the UK, US, Australia, and many countries across the world.

This dish is also known as Chinese salt and pepper calamari, salt and chilli squid, or Chinese fried squid. Calamari is an Italian name for deep-fried crispy squids and is seasoned with basic salt and black pepper. English/Italian calamari is usually served with mayonnaise or a choice of dipping sauce.

My mom used to make Japanese-style fried squid with tempura batter and spicy mayo whenever she bought fresh squids from the seafood market. It's one of my favourite savoury snacks.

In this recipe, I am sharing our homemade version of salt and pepper squid Chinese style with simple tips and tricks. Learn how to make non-rubbery, perfect tender squid inside and crispy, airy, non-greasy coating outside.

• This dish is easy to make at home if you know the right ingredients and techniques.
• It tastes better than regular takeout and frozen salt n pepper squid. If you find the frozen battered squids tasteless, now it's time to make DIY salt and pepper squid at home.
• When you cook at home you can adjust the flavour of chilli, salt, garlic, and pepper to your taste. To make mild or kid-friendly salt and pepper squid, you can simply omit chilli peppers and Sichuan peppercorns.
• A perfect starter dish for dinner, parties, gatherings, or any occasion. You can prep the coating ahead and deep fry them just before serving.

• Squid/Calamari - Fresh squids taste best to make this dish but it is completely fine to use frozen squids. Frozen squids should be defrosted before cooking. You can also add tentacles in whole or cut them into half.  
• Chinese salt and pepper seasonings - basic ingredients are fine salt, freshly ground black pepper or white pepper, fried garlic, and fresh/dried chillies. You can also add Chinese five spice powder, Sichuan peppercorns, msg or chicken powder to your liking.
• Shao Xing wine - Adding rice-cooking wine to the marinade can eliminate the fishy smell of seafood and brings more flavour to the dish. If you want to make it non-alcohol or halal salt and pepper squids, you can omit Shao Xing wine or use halal Mirin or cooking wine. 
• Sichuan peppercorn - Adding crushed Sichuan peppercorns bring more flavour to the dish. It has numbing hot sensations and if you don't have it, you can omit it. 
• Chicken powder - is a chicken bouillon powder and has a rich, salty, umami flavour. Instead of chicken powder, you can add msg. Adding chicken powder is optional. You can omit it if you don't have it. 

• Prepare the squids - Pat dry the cleaned squids with a kitchen towel to remove excess water. Cut it into half-inch rings or small bite-size pieces.
• Season the squid rings with salt, pepper, and Shao Xing wine. Mix it well for a few seconds then add egg white and cornstarch. Mix it well until it becomes thick and sticky.
• Combine cornstarch, plain flour, and baking powder in a bowl. Dredge each squid ring in the flour mix and coat it well.
• Then set them aside on a plate or tray and toss the excess flour out before frying.

• Fill the pot with enough oil to deep fry ( At least 3 inches ). Heat the oil to high heat at about 350°F ( 180° C ). Fry the coated squids in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes or until crispy golden brown. Remove from the oil and place them over the paper towel or wire rack. Fry with small batches and repeat the process until all the coated squids run out.
• Heat the large wok/pan to medium heat, drizzle 1 tbsp of oil and stir fry the garlic for a few seconds then add the minced chillies and crushed Sichuan peppercorns. Stir it well for 8-10 seconds or until fragrant.
• Next, add the fried squids and sprinkle salt, pepper, and chicken powder. Toss it well for a few seconds until all the ingredients combine evenly.
• Finish with chopped spring onions and transfer to a serving plate. Serve immediately.

• First, wear a pair of gloves before cleaning squids. To clean the whole squid, start by removing the head and innard by gently twisting and pulling out the head from the body apart. You can either use the head part or discard it with innards.
• Then remove and discard the cartilage-like transparent cuttlebone from the body part.
• Remove the skin membrane and wash the squid thoroughly with cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel before slicing them.
• Deep frying tips - Do not overcrowd the frying oil and fry with small batches. The oil temperature should be hot enough to achieve a crispy non-greasy coating. 
• Frozen squids should be thawed before coating and frying.
• Frying oil - Use vegetable oil or sunflower, canola, grapeseeds, peanut, etc. Deep-fried food tastes best with high smoke point neutral flavour oil.
• Deep frying time is about 2-3 minutes. Make sure not to overcook the squids because overcooked squids are hard, chewy, and unpleasant to eat.
• Spices Add-ons - Chinese five spices powder and crushed dried chillies can be also added if you love extra spices. 

Place the coated squids over the rack and spray a generous amount of cooking oil and air-fry/bake in preheated oven/air-fryer 400°F ( 200°C ) for 4-5 minutes or until crispy golden. 

Do not recommend boiled or pre-cooked squids for this recipe because you are deep frying them again.  

Yes, you can place the coated squid rings over the non-stick baking sheet on a tray. Add them to the freezer for 1-2 hours until set, then transfer them to the freezer-safe bags/container for later use.

Do not recommend reheating in the microwave or stovetop. It tastes best when freshly cooked and reheating squids can be easily overcooked and results in a soft coating texture.

How to seve this dish

You can serve this dish on its own as an appetizer or savoury snack. We love to serve it together with plain rice, Basic Egg Fried Rice & Fried Noodles to complete the meal. You can also pair it with Tomato Egg Drop Soup , Hot and Sour Soup , Siu Mai , Beef Fried Rice , or Chinese Five Spice Chicken and make it a wholesome Chinese dinner.

More Chinese salt and pepper recipes

Stay updated with our new recipes

We are on social media Facebook , Instagram , YouTube ( New recipe video every week ) , and Pinterest ( Pin your favourite recipes ). If you've tried this recipe, please share your comment or post on social media and tag me. I would love to see your creations and feedback.

• ▢ 1 Large wok/pan to toss everything
• ▢ 1 Medium-sized pot for deep frying with oil

Ingredients

Squid and marinade.

• ▢ 250 gram Squids Or calamari, cleaned and cut into ½ inch rings ( About 8.8oz ) see details in note
• ▢ ½ tsp Salt fine salt
• ▢ ½ tsp Pepper
• ▢ 1 tsp Shao Xing wine Chinese cooking rice wine or Japanese mirin ( Optional )
• ▢ 1 tbsp Egg white About half egg white
• ▢ 2-3 tbsp Corn starch Or potato starch

Flour Coating Mix

• ▢ 6 tbsp Corn starch or potato starch
• ▢ 3 tbsp Plain flour all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ tsp Baking powder

For Stir Fry

• ▢ 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns Medium or fine coarse ( Optional )
• ▢ 2-3 Cloves Garlic Finely chopped
• ▢ 2-3 Spring onions Cut thin slices
• ▢ 1 tbsp Oil for stir fry Vegetable or neutral flavour oil
• ▢ 1-2 Chilli peppers Red & green hot/mild, minced
• ▢ ¼ tsp Salt Or salt to taste
• ▢ ¼ tsp Black pepper Freshly ground black or white pepper
• ▢ ¼ tsp Chicken powder Or Msg ( Optional ) see details in note
• ▢ Oil for deep fry Vegetable or neutral flavour oil

Instructions

Marinade and coating.

• First, pat-dry the cleaned squids with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Then slice it into half-inch rings or small bite-size pieces.
• Place the squids in the large mixing bowl and add salt, pepper, and Shao Xing wine. Mix it well for a few seconds then add egg white and cornstarch. Combine everything well until it become thick and sticky.
• In a bowl combine cornstarch, plain flour, and baking powder. Dredge each squid ring in the flour mix and toss the excess flour out. Then set them aside in a plate or tray.

Deep Frying Squids

• Heat the oil to high heat at about 350°F ( 180° C ). Fry the coated squids in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes or until crispy golden brown. Remove from oil and place them over the paper towel or wire rack. Fry with small batches and repeat the frying process until all the coated squids runs out.
• Squid/Calamari - Fresh squids taste best to make this dish but it is completely fine to use frozen squids. Frozen squids should be defrosted before cooking. You can also add tentacles in whole or cut them into half.  
• Can I use pre-cooked squids? Do not recommend boiled or pre-cooked squids for this recipe. 
• Shao Xing wine - Adding rice cooking wine to the marinade can eliminate the fishy smell of seafood and brings more flavour to the dish. If you want to make it non-alcohol or halal salt and pepper squids, you can omit Shao Xing wine or use halal Mirin or cooking wine. 
• Sichuan peppercorn - Adding crushed Sichuan peppercorns bring more flavour to the dish. It has numbing hot sensations and if you don't have it, you can omit it. 
• What type of oil to use? Use vegetable, sunflower, canola, peanut or high smoke point or neutral flavour oil for both stir fry and stir fry. 
• Chicken powder - is a chicken bouillon powder and has a rich, salty, umami flavour. Instead of chicken powder, you can add msg. Adding chicken powder is optional. You can omit it if you don't have it. 
• Deep frying tips - Do not overcrowd the frying oil and fry with small batches. The oil temperature should be hot enough to achieve a crispy non-greasy coating. 
• Make sure not to overcook the squids because overcooked squids are hard, chewy, and unpleasant to eat. 
• Can you bake or air-fry squids ? Place the coated squids over the rack and spray a generous amount of cooking oil and air-fry/bake in preheated oven/air-fryer 400 °F ( 200°C ) for 4-5 minutes or until crispy golden. 
• Spices Add-ons - Chinese five spices powder and crushed dried chillies can be also added if you love extra spices. 

Reader Interactions

No Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Rate This Recipe

• FOOD PRODUCTS
• Always Delicious
• Just As Delicious
• Marion: The Hungry Cook
• Kitchenware
• MAKO Black Steel 14 Wok Kit
• MAKO Black Steel Steak Pan
• MAKO Genius Copper™ Cookware
• Mortar and Pestle
• Chopping Boards
• Resin Serveware
• Tabletop and Glassware
• Gifts for the Cook
• Gifts for the Host
• Gifts to Spoil Them

HOT WOK OFFER. 2 x free cookbooks with every wok purchase. Limited time only. SHOP NOW →

Chinese Salt & Pepper Squid

I’ve taken the Chinese restaurant classic and made it super light and simple to prepare – and it really is incredible! Dry-roasting the mix of peppercorns is absolutely worth the extra step, while seasoning the squid, rather than the flour, means you get even more flavour in every bite.

2 large whole squid, cleaned and cut into pieces (see my video on how to clean and prepare squid  here ) or 400g (14 oz) pre-cleaned calamari tubes sliced into rings

1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns

1 tbsp black peppercorns

1 tbsp sea salt

¼ cup plain flour (all-purpose flour)

¼ cup rice flour

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

4 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced

1 large red chilli, finely sliced

vegetable oil for deep frying and stir-frying

lime wedges to serve

Dry roast the peppercorns in a frying pan over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant. Use a mortar and pestle to grind the peppercorns and the salt to a fine powder. Transfer to a small bowl.

Pour enough oil to deep fry into a wok or saucepan over high heat.

Combine the plain flour and rice flour in a large bowl. Pat the squid pieces with paper towel to remove excess moisture. Generously season the squid pieces with the salt mixture. Coat pieces of squid in the flour. When the oil is hot, fry the squid in batches for 2-3 minutes or until light golden in colour. Drain on paper towel.

Heat 1 tsp of vegetable oil in a clean wok or frying pan. Add the garlic, spring onion and chillies and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the squid pieces and a little more of the salt mixture and stir-fry until well combined. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve with lime wedges.

• Chinese cuisine

What our customers say

Prepared this for our local Food & Wine club. Easy outside summer cook for 30 people, many wanted the recipe & credit. I t’s the spicing of the squid and the rice flour that seems to do the trick! Thanks for sharing your detailed recipe.

This was the best squid recipe I have tried. Turned out perfect. Thanks Marion.

Squid Perfection

First time making Salt & Pepper Squid. Awesome instructions, it turned out perfectly. Only problem was there was not eno ugh!

Popular on Marion's Kitchen

Honey sesame coleslaw, asian-style porchetta, mediterranean olive bread with homemade butter, singapore cereal prawns.

Privacy Policy    Terms of Service

Stay in touch with my latest recipes and updates!

Privacy overview.

Leave your rating and review

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to header navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Eats

Fast Prep, Big Flavours

My cookbook "Dinner" now available!

Truly crispy salt & pepper squid.

Finally cracked the code to Truly Crispy Salt and Pepper Squid!! The fry batter is so crunchy it stays crispy even when it’s gone cold, and it’s not at all greasy. There’s no complicated steps or ingredients. Just a specific ratio of flour to cornflour plus an all-important 30 minute refrigeration for the batter!

WHY THIS SQUID IS SERIOUSLY CRUNCHY!

Specific ratio of cornflour (cornstarch) combined with regular flour for ultimate crunch in a very short frying time so the squid doesn’t overcook.

A touch of baking powder keeps the batter light rather than dense.

We tested other starch options – rice flour, potato, tapioca – but the texture and/or crispiness wasn’t as good.

Resting the batter develops gluten so it clings to slippery squid better and the crust isn’t greasy or chewy.

The shock of chilled batter hitting hot oil makes a crispier crust.

Double frying – rapidly become the worst kept Asian secret for ultra crispy not-greasy fried foods!

Ultra Crispy Salt and Pepper Squid

It only took us 3 years to crack the ultimate, truly crispy Salt and Pepper Squid! Hand on heart, this is crispier than any fried squid I’ve had in a restaurant, ever. And I have tried a lot . Once I had my sights set of creating a great Salt and Pepper Squid recipe, I would never pass up an opportunity if I saw it on a menu.

95% of the time, they just weren’t crispy at all which is so disappointing, and all too often they were really greasy. The 5% of the time that they were crispy, the crispness really only lingered for just enough time to eat the bowl of squid – provided you ate very quickly!

Well, our hunt for crispy squid is finally over. It is here today, and it’s incredible! The fry batter is light, super crunchy and not greasy at all. In fact, it’s so crispy it stays crispy even when it’s stone cold!

** If you’re interested in the recipe development process, see the blue box below the ingredients section for more information where I’ve indulged in some background information!**

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make Crispy Salt and Pepper Squid.

You can use either squid tubes that are sold already cleaned (right, below) or whole baby squid (left) which needs to be cleaned before use (ask your fish monger or do it yourself ). Baby squid is nicer because the squid flesh is thinner and more delicate so it’s softer. Plus, the tentacles are the crunchiest! But by no means are cleaned squid tubes a poor cousin.

Baby squid is sold whole with the head and tentacles attached, and the skin on, as pictured. They range in size but the ones pictured have a body and head about 20 cm / 8” long and tentacles roughly the same length. 

The body (the tube part) and the tentacles are the edible parts. You can either ask your fish monger to clean the squid for you or do it yourself, see my separate tutorial here. It involves: removing the skin, cleaning out the guts, removing the cartilage and beak, and removing the head. 

Squid tubes – Sold pre cleaned, sparkling white tubes ready for use! Handier, but it is less tender than baby squid simply because the meat comes from a larger, older squid so it’s thicker. It’s just like animal meat – younger, smaller animal = softer meat, but meat from older animals is by no means tough and chewy if cooked correctly. (And yes, we cook the squid correctly!!)

The crispy batter for squid

We found that the key to the ultra crispy batter for squid came down to using the right flours (cornflour + regular flour), the perfect ratio and the clincher: refrigerating the batter for 30 minutes. If you’re a food nerd like me who is interested in the logic of the  why  this batter works, read below for more information!

Flour and cornflour/cornstarch – Just regular plain flour (all-purpose flour). We use a very specific ratio of each to achieve the right level of crispiness and golden colour. This is because cornflour makes things crispy but won’t fry up golden, and if you use too much, the batter is chewy and gets stuck in your teeth. On the other hand, flour batters fry up beautifully golden but are not as crispy, and they soften so quickly. So I use both!

Baking powder – This makes the batter puff up a bit to make it lighter rather than dense.

Regular tap water – I use ice cold soda water in other fry batters as a secret trick for crunch. But for this recipe because we need to refrigerate anyway, there’s no need to use cold water. And there’s no point using fizzy water because the fizziness would not last for the refrigeration time.

Salt and pepper – for seasoning.

BACKGROUND: DEVELOPING the batter for squid

I really thought it would be as simple as using the battered fish or Chinese Honey Chicken fry batters, but they just weren’t suitable for squid! Partially because squid are slippery little suckers which require a batter that clings better, and also because it cooks faster so the batter has to be designed to crisp up in a shorter time.

The starch is the biggest variable

When it comes to fry batters, the thing that affects the crispiness the most is the starch used. Regular flour will make batters that clings to food well and it fries up into a lovely golden crust. But it does not go as crispy as cornflour (cornstarch) and other gluten-free starches such as rice flour and potato flour.

After eliminating rice flour, potato flour and others we tried such as tapioca, we landed on cornflour as the best starch to combine with regular flour. Why not just use cornflour, if it fries up so crunchy? Because the crust will not fry up golden (it stays white which is not as appealing) and though crispy, the texture is tough and gets stuck in your teeth.

So basically, we had to play around various ratios of regular flour and cornflour until we came up with the right combination that delivered a light, very crispy crust with the right amount of crunch, the right golden colour and an acceptable crunch staying-power.

Early iterations we made were either too tough, too chewy, too fragile and many, many versions we made were simply not crispy enough!

Fridge batter resting

And the final key to unlock the door to the world of ultra crispy salt and pepper squid was to refrigerate the batter. Most of my other fry batters rely on ice cold soda water to chill the batter (leading to crispy crust when shocked by the hot oil) and for the fizz to provide some lift.

However, for the squid batter, we found it was best to rest the batter for 30 minutes to allow the gluten to rest and develop so the batter would cling to the slippery squid better. In doing so, this chilled the batter so using cold soda water wasn’t necessary, just regular tap water was fine. And a smidge of baking powder took care of the lift part!

PS “We” is RecipeTin’s Chef JB and me. It was mostly JB who did the groundwork with me beside him on the crispy squid journey, eating and analysing and problem solving. For recipe development projects like this we approach it in a very methodical way, changing one variable at a time and doing lots of research, like the frying characteristics and liquid absorbency of different starches. I know, I’m SUCH a dork!

~~~ END of nerdy food talk 😅~~~

How to make salt and pepper squid

Cutting the squid.

If using cleaned squid tubes (pictured above), you can start with these steps immediately. If you have whole baby squid (with the skin, head and tentacles, you will need to clean it first. See the separate post on how to clean and prepare baby squid here .

Cut down one side of the tube so you can lay it out flat. Pat both sides dry with paper towels.

Score – Lightly score the flesh using a small sharp knife into 1.5cm / 0.6” diamonds. Take care not to cut all the way through. Scoring the flesh creates more ridges so the squid fries up crunchier and allows it to cook faster and more evenly which means more tender squid.

Rectangles – Then cut the squid into rectangles about 5 x 2 cm / 2 x 1” in size. Exactness isn’t important here.

Wings – If you used baby squid, score the wings too (the flappy bits pulled off the tube) then just use them whole. You don’t need to do anything to prepare the tentacles though you could separate them if you want so you get more tentacle pieces. They  are  the crunchiest bits after all, everybody wants them!

BATTERING & FRYING

This is actually a good recipe to start with if you are new to oil frying because small pieces of squid are easy to handle and it cooks in just a couple of minutes. Much easier than, say, Southern Fried Chicken !

Batter – Whisk the flour, cornflour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Then whisk in the water until lump free.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Do not skip or shortcut this step! It’s important to give the batter time for the gluten to develop which will make the batter cling to the slippery squid better as well as frying up nice and crisp, rather than chewy and greasy.

Batter up – Put all the squid into the batter. We will fry them in 3 batches and the remaining squid can stay in the batter while you fry.

Pick up a piece of squid and let the excess batter drip off for a second.

Fry – Carefully put the squid into oil preheated to 160°C/320°F (I use my Thermapen to check the temperature). Fry for 2 minutes (baby squid) or 3 minutes (the squid tubes which are thicker). They should be light golden and a bit crispy, but not super crispy – that comes with the second fry!

The fry time is short because squid cooks really quickly, and nobody wants chewy squid.

Drain – Scoop the squid out with a spider or slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined tray to absorb excess oil. Then continue to cook batches 2 and 3.

Fry 2 for crispiness – Now, crank up the oil to 200°C/390°F. Then fry the squid in 2 batches for just 90 seconds until it’s very golden and very crispy. This is the step that locks in the crispiness!

You can do this step in 2 batches, it’s ok to crowd the pot.

Bowl – Scoop out the squid into a paper towel lined bowl. Taste first before sprinkling with salt and pepper (the batter has decent seasoning in it so you do not want to over salt!) and giving it a good toss.

Serve – Pour into a bowl (wait until you hear the clatter in the recipe video!) and serve with Garlic Mayonnaise (Aioli) if desired (literally just mayo + grated garlic). Or just some fresh lemon wedges.

Look how happy I am! It is, of course, because the batter is so incredibly crispy and the squid is so tender!!!

This recipe makes a fairly large batch using 500g/1 lb of squid which, once fried up, will fill a tray. As with most fried foods, I figure if we’re going to make it, let’s make plenty!

It’s a meal for 4 to 5 people or a great appetiser for sharing for 6 to 8 people. And though at its prime freshly cooked, this remarkable fry batter crust will stay crunchy even when the squid is cold and it reheats incredibly well. Just pop the squid in a hot oven for 6 minutes just to reheat the crust and warm the squid inside. Take a bite and marvel at the re-incarnation of the crunch!! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

See separate tutorial for how to clean baby squid referenced in the video here .

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook , Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Crispy Salt & Pepper Squid

Squid – choose (note 1):.

• ▢ 700 g / 1.4 lb medium whole baby squid , cleaned (better, more tender)
• ▢ 500 g / 1 lb squid tubes , already cleaned

Batter (Note 2):

• ▢ 2/3 cup cornflour / cornstarch
• ▢ 1/3 cup plain / all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/2 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp cooking / kosher salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp white pepper powder
• ▢ 2/3 cup cold tap water

Cooking / seasoning:

• ▢ 3 – 4 cups vegetable or canola oil (~4cm / 1.5″ depth in a pot)
• ▢ Cooking / kosher salt – just a pinch!
• ▢ White pepper powder

Easy aioli (garlic mayonnaise):

• ▢ 1/2 cup whole egg mayonnaise or kewpie
• ▢ 1/2 tsp finely grated garlic

Instructions

Preparing squid:.

• Cut one side of the squid tube to lay it out in one flat piece. Pat both sides dry with a paper towel.
• Lightly score the inside with a small sharp knife in 1.5 cm / 0.6" diamonds (don't cut all the way through). (Note 3)
• Cut the squid into pieces 5 x 2cm (2 x 1") rectangles (approximately).
• Mix the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside for at least 20 minutes (up to 24 hours).
• Batter – Whisk the flour, cornflour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Then whisk in water until smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. (Note 4)
• Heat oil – Fill small heavy based pot or large saucepan with 4cm / 1.5" of oil. Heat to 160°C/320°F on medium high heat. (I use a Thermapen to check the temp)
• Give the batter a quick whisk then add all the squid in a toss to coat. (Including tentacles if using baby squid – it's the crunchiest!)
• Batter – Cook the squid in 3 batches. Pick up some squid and let the excess batter to drip off. Careful place in the oil. Use chopsticks to seperate the pieces that stick together.
• Fry baby squid for 2 minutes or the regular squid tubes for 3 minutes until light golden. Use a spider or slotted spoon to remove the squid on a paper towel lined tray.
• Repeat – Fry remaining squid, making sure the oil comes back to temperature before cooking batches 2 and 3.

Fry 2 – crisp it!

• Increase oil temp – Increase the stove to high and bring the the oil up to 200°C/390°F.
• Bowl – Line a large mixing bowl with double layer of paper towels.
• Fry – Place half of the squid in the oil (it's ok to crowd the pot). Cook for 1 1/2 minutes, until it becomes deep golden and crispy. Remove into the bowl. Bring the oil back up to 200°C/390°F then fry the remaining squid.
• Season – Remove paper towel. Taste first then sprinkle lightly with as much salt and pepper as you want (the batter has salt in it already). Toss well.
• Pour into a serving bowl and serve with aioli! This batter is so good, it will stay crispy even once the squid has gone cold.

Recipe Notes:

More crunchy fried goodness.

Life of Dozer

There is no limit to how low I will stoop for him. 😂

Hi, I'm Nagi !

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Related Posts

Crispy pork belly banh mi

Pierogi – Polish dumplings

Henry’s Crispy Fried Chicken Burger

Reader interactions, leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment.

49 Comments

March 25, 2024 at 8:18 pm

Thank you for the recipe can’t wait to try it, I just wonder whether it works with squid rings too? Thanks!!

March 24, 2024 at 1:10 pm

March 19, 2024 at 6:42 am

What was the runner-up after cornstarch? I am allergic to corn. It looks delish!

March 1, 2024 at 8:53 pm

February 21, 2024 at 11:02 pm

Can you aggregate all the Dozer posts?

February 21, 2024 at 6:12 pm

Hi Nagi, I don’t eat squid so wondering if this would work with prawns or even soft shell crab? Thanks 🤩

February 20, 2024 at 9:08 pm

February 20, 2024 at 7:17 pm

Wow! Thank you for the batter research and detailed explanation Nagi! I deep fried for the first time today because of this recipe. It was crazy amazing. The crunch was not fit for company (because you could hear it in the next room – how could you possibly be keep the noise down 😆)

I did it with tofu because that’s what I wanted to use up. Did an extra small batch , same reason (measuring in tablespoons instead of cups, pretty much). Batter was more like a wet dough at first. Put batter in fridge pretty much 24 hours cos I ran out of motivation. On taking out of fridge, watched video and realised batter is supposed to be runny so added water til it looked about right. Then proceeded pretty much as per recipe except for scoring , didn’t think the tofu would hang together if I scored it. Poured remained batter in after all done. Hope this works again because v handy to have up my sleeve ! .

February 19, 2024 at 6:44 pm

February 19, 2024 at 11:34 am

I made this last night with squid tubes. Followed the recipe on point, only difference was I used sunflower oil. TOTAL FAIL, the batter slid straight off the squid and most of the batter stuck to the bottom of the pot. Any thoughts on what I did wrong? Happy to try again, but don’t want to repeat my mistake. Thanks

February 21, 2024 at 9:17 am

I made this last night using Rice Bran oil (cheaper to throw away) and had the same problem with the batter not sticking very well and lots ending up on the bottom of the pan. Still had some crunch and tasted good.

February 19, 2024 at 7:40 am

February 18, 2024 at 10:41 pm

Hi Nagi, I love your recipes and your cookbook is fabulous! I tried to make this extra crispy batter last night and used the exact amounts in your recipe for cornstarch to flour ratio and my batter come out like glue. Oddly enough I could not get it to stick. A big mess for me. Not sure what I did wrong. Seem like too much cornstarch, but I followed the measures in the recipe. Please help….Lol Love you and Dozer and your brilliant recipes!!!!

February 18, 2024 at 4:42 pm

Could I use the same process with baby Octopus?

February 18, 2024 at 1:37 pm

February 18, 2024 at 11:41 am

Love squid. Always wanted this recipe. Knew I could count on you, Nagi-san. Happy cook from Los Angeles.

February 18, 2024 at 10:00 am

February 18, 2024 at 6:58 am

I love said and would like to try this recipe. I would have to use previously frozen squid. Would that work?

February 17, 2024 at 8:37 pm

February 17, 2024 at 7:05 pm

February 17, 2024 at 11:55 am

Corn flour and cornstarch are different. Is this a mix? What ratio?

March 21, 2024 at 5:13 pm

In Australia, corn flour and corn starch are the same thing. For other countries, you need to get “corn starch”.

February 20, 2024 at 7:53 pm

They can be used interchangably.

Made With Lau

Get the scoop on our latest recipes & stories, ingredients, instructions.

YouTube Tutorial

A recipe by daddy lau.

My dad ' s been cooking Chinese food for over 50 years  - as a kid fending for himself in Guangzhou, as the head chef of his own restaurant, and as a loving father in our home.

Hopefully, by learning this recipe, you ' ll get to experience some of the delicious joy we felt growing up eating his food!

More Recipes

Salt and Pepper Squid

By Elaine | Published April 11, 2019

An additive Chinese style salt and pepper fried squid-椒盐鱿鱼.

Have you ever tried this salt and pepper squid with a tough of garlicky aroma? It is so addictive, either as a snack or a side dish. Although squid is quite yummy for me, I don’t love to cook it at home frequently because it turns quite stiff and rubbery either overcooked or undercooked.

This turns out so satisfying and my daughter enjoyed a small bowl of mild version. The squid is slightly coated with a thin batter before frying. Garlic, salt, pepper, coriander and fresh peppers successfully motivate the aroma while decrease the fishy taste.

Ingredients

• 350g raw squid, tentacles and tubes
• pinch of salt and pepper for marinating
• salt to taste
• 2 teaspoon coarsely ground white pepper
• 1/4 cup starch (I use sweet potato starch, you can use cornstarch)
• 1/2 tablespoon chili pepper powder (optional for a mild version)
• 2 fresh peppers (one red, one green)
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 middle size egg
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
• Oil for deep-frying
• 1 small bunch of Coriander
• Clean the squid and remove the dark skin on the surface.

• Trim the squid and then slice the tubes into 1/2 inch square pieces. Then rinse well and dry with kitchen paper.

• Chop the fresh peppers into small circles. Marinate with salt and pepper for around 10 minutes. And then add starch and egg. Mix well.

• Heat up enough oil in a deep pot until 170 degree C. You can test the oil temperature by adding one piece. The squid should be floating seconds after touching the oil. Deep fry all the squid by small batches.

• Place 1 tablespoon of cooking oil again and then fry garlic, fresh pepper and green onion until aroma. Then return squid and sprinkle salt and pepper. Turn off the fire and mix everything well.

Salt and Pepper Fried Squid

• 350 g raw squid , tentacles and tubes
• pinch of salt and pepper for marinating
• 2 tsp. coarsely ground white pepper
• 1/4 cup starch , I use sweet potato starch, you can use cornstarch
• 1/2 tbsp. chili pepper powder , optional for a mild version
• 2 fresh peppers , one red, one green
• 3 cloves of garlic , finely minced
• 1/2 middle size egg
• 2 green onions , finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. cooking oil
• oil for deep-frying
• 1 small bunch of Coriander

Instructions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Hello Elaine. Thank you for sharing all your wonderful recipes. Years ago I ate 5 spice squid at a restaurant and can’t find a recipe. It looked like this. Could I just add 5 spice? When would I add it? JS

Sure. 5 spice powder is a great substitute to common salt and pepper.

Would this work with soft shell crabs or cut up pork chops?

Maybe you could have a try. It sounds like a good ideal. ?

One thing though, some ingredients weren’t mentioned in the instructions like the 2tsp coarsely ground white peppers when do i add that? also the chili powder and coriander are missing in the instructions though it looks like the coriander leaves are for garnish only. please add to the instructions so it’s more clear.

Thank You and you’re the best cooking site on the internet!

Watching your youtube vids and reading your blogs makes me forget all the stress from this pandemic?

That’s the most lovely comment I got so far. Thanks Pam. There must be something to do even life is hard and tough!!

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

Ingredients

Salt-and-pepper squid with chinese five-spice powder.

Wendy Leon gives this classic Chinese squid dish a fun twist by flavoring it with five-spice powder (typically a ground mixture of cinnamon, star anise, black peppercorns, fennel and clove). "It's her version of a Super Bowl snack ," says her son Humberto. "Most kids eat chips; we grew up eating squid."  More Chinese Recipes

Wendy Leon is the matriarch behind Chifa, a Chinese Peruvian eatery in Los Angeles. Opened in 2020 by her son Humberto, the restaurant is the second incarnation of the original Chifa she founded in Lima, Peru, in 1975.

1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

Kosher salt

Vegetable oil, for frying

2 large eggs

Cornstarch, for dusting

1 pound cleaned squid—bodies cut into 1/2-inch rings, tentacles halved

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 scallions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons minced red onion

1/2 red jalapeño, seeded and minced

Lime wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400°. Set a large rack over a large rimmed baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine the five-spice powder with 1 teaspoon of salt.

In a large saucepan, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil to 350°. In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs. Spread cornstarch in another shallow bowl. Working in four batches, dip the squid in the egg; squeeze out any excess egg. Dredge the squid in the cornstarch, shaking off any excess. Add the squid to the hot oil and fry until golden and crisp, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the squid to the rack. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining squid.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the scallions, garlic, onion and jalapeño and stir-fry over high heat until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the squid and stir-fry until just heated through. Sprinkle with the five-spice mixture. Transfer to a platter or shallow bowl and serve right away with lime wedges.

Suggested Pairing

A bright, berry-scented sparkling rosé.

Related Articles

Easy Filipino and Asian Recipes

Share this:

• Click to print (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Salt and Pepper Squid (Chinese-style)

Salt and pepper squid has got to be one of my favorite takeaway items from Chinese restaurants. The crispy coating of the squid tossed with aromatics and a touch of salt ultimately takes this to the next level.

What’s so special about it?

Everything. We first cut the squid into bite-sized pieces, making it the perfect finger-food. It’s then coated in a thin layer of starch before deep frying to seal in its juices. Finally, for an extra burst of flavor, we toss this into a pan with some minced garlic, red peppers, and season it with salt and pepper.

Is scoring the squid necessary?

It makes a load of a difference, so yes , definitely do not skip the step for scoring the squid!

• One of the major reasons why we score the squid is not only to get the squid to cook faster, but to also allow our wet batter and starches to actually stick onto it . If you’ve ever handled squid before, you’ll know that they’re extremely smooth and slippery, which makes coating it with batter slightly difficult at times.
• The grooves allow for more flavor! Because we have those ridges and little slits all around the squid, it makes it easier for the aromatics, the oils, and the seasonings to penetrate the squid much better.
• It just looks prettier. If you’re ever like me, who’s super into food that not only tastes good, but also looks amazing, scoring your squid is the perfect way to really impress your family and guests.

Ingredients

•400-500g squid •1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine •1/2 tsp kosher salt •1/2 tsp white pepper •1 egg •1/4 cup tapioca starch •2 tbsp potato starch •Extra tapioca starch, for a second coating

•1 red chilli pepper, chopped •4-5 cloves garlic, minced •1 green onion, chopped •salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

• (If using already cleaned/prepared squid, you can skip this step!) To prepare the calamari, we’ll only be using the body tube and the tentacles. Discard the head, eyes, beak, innards, the skin membrane covering the outside and inside of the tube, as well as the cartilage (that looks like a piece of plastic).
• Score the squid tube in a criss-cross pattern and cut into bite-sized pieces. Rinse this (along with the tentacles) thoroughly with water.
• Marinate the cleaned squid with the Chinese cooking wine, salt and pepper, egg, potato starch, and 1/4 cup of tapioca starch for 10 minutes. Mix this to combine into a sticky batter.
• Once marinated, toss the squid into a second layer of tapioca starch until fully coated.
• Fry these for 2-4 mins at 325 F degree oil, or until they’re golden and crispy.
• In a separate pan, sauté your minced garlic in oil, followed by the red chilli peppers and green onions. Toss in the fried calamari and season with more salt and white pepper to taste.
• Serve immediately!

How to serve salt and pepper squid

In classic Chinese-takeout-style, they’ve always topped the fried squid with chopped green onions, some of the leftover aromatics we used for sautéing (if you had any), and chilli flakes.

I also like to squeeze in some lemon juice to give it some tang and to cut through the richness of the fried squid as well!

Salt and Pepper Squid

Keep the screen of your device on

400-500g squid

Tapioca starch, for a second coating

1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/4 cup tapioca starch

2 tbsp potato starch

• For sautéing

1 red chilli pepper, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 green onion, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @Iankewks on Instagram and hashtag it with #iankewks

Like this recipe?

Follow @Iankewks on Pinterest

Join our Facebook Group!

Follow Iankewks on Facebook

Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, we may receive compensation from purchases made through these links. As an Amazon Associate, I can earn from qualifying purchases.

My name's Ian, a Filipino-Canadian homecook, content creator, and massive foodie. Here I share a collection of my favorite Filipino and Asian recipes! Connect with me on my socials or subscribe to our email list!

Scallion Oil Noodles -Quick and Tasty

Fried Enoki Mushrooms

One comment.

Pingback: Mango Ensalada (Filipino Mango Salad) | Iankewks

Leave a Comment Cancel

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Address *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

I'm a Filipino-Canadian homecook, content creator, and massive foodie. Here I share a collection of my favorite Filipino and Asian recipes!

Let’s Connect!

Trending recipes.

• Classic Orange Chicken 220658 views
• Sesame Chicken 95069 views
• Spicy Enoki Mushrooms 83253 views
• Creamy Sesame Noodles 66261 views
• Spicy Chili Oil Noodles (10 minutes!) 53343 views

Recent Posts

Pork Adobo (adobong baboy)

Khao Soi (Thai Curry Noodle Soup)

Thai Red Curry Paste

Buko Pandan

Never miss a recipe.

• Appetizer (21)
• Chicken (14)
• Dessert (13)
• Dips, Sauces, Pastes (5)
• Ingredients (1)
• Noodles (13)
• Seafood (9)
• Veggie (16)

Looking for something?

Privacy overview.

The Foodie's Avenue

A collection of food recipes — simple. homemade. honestly good.

Salt and pepper calamari

Originating from China, these homemade Salt & Pepper Calamaries are so crispy and packed with flavours. They look so colourful and exotic and are perfect to serve as a starter or just for snacking!

salt and pepper calamari

Ingredients.

• 450 g squid / calamari or 2 tubes
• 1 Egg beaten
• 150 g corn flour or tapioca starch
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 red long chilli chopped
• 1 sprig spring onion chopped
• cracked pepper
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

• Using a large mixing bowl, season the calamari pieces with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, then add 1 beaten egg and mix well.
• Gently coate the calamaries one by one with corn starch, and shake off any extra egg or starch.
• Deep fry the calamaries on 'medium heat' 180C | 360F for 10 – 12 minutes or until golden and crispy. Drain excess oil well then set aside.
• Heat up a wok or frying pan on 'medium high heat', add some vegetable oil. Then add the garlic followed by the chilli and spring onion. Give it a quick stir then add the fried calamaries and toss quickly to combine all the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and toss again.

• Serve while still hot and crispy and ENJOY!

Watch the full recipe on video for illustration ⬇️

other posts you may enjoy

Crispy fried calamari / calamar croustillant, homemade banana chips, mauritian bread pudding / poudine du pain, siu mai / mauritian sao mai, nutella napolitaine, chocolate cake in 5 minutes, chicken rice noodle soup recipe / bouillon meefoon, crispy potato pakora / gateau pomme de terre, join the conversation.

Thank you! 😉

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Got a suggestion or feedback? Leave a comment below!

Save my name for next time I comment!

Thanks for your comment!

Visit our store for premium, hard-to-find Sichuan + regional Chinese ingredients →

Home / Fish & Seafood / Salt and Pepper Squid ft. Sichuan Dipping Chilies (Jiaoyan Youyu, 椒盐鱿鱼)

Salt and Pepper Squid ft. Sichuan Dipping Chilies (Jiaoyan Youyu, 椒盐鱿鱼)

By Taylor Holliday

Published Feb 21, 2024

Fried Calamari Sichuan Style

It’s the Chinese version of fried calamari, and—if you’re a lover of Sichuan flavors—it’s the best version of fried calamari. In Jiaoyan Youyu, 椒盐鱿鱼, or salt-and-pepper squid, the youyu is lightly battered and fried and then stir-fried with aromatics and a heavy sprinkling of jiaoyan, or pepper-salt.

Jaioyan can be as simple as Sichuan pepper and salt, roasted together and ground to a powder. However, many folks on the Chinese Internet add fennel seeds and sesame seeds to the mix, and some even add a bit of green Sichuan pepper, white pepper or black pepper. Others may add additional warm spices such as star anise. Once you come up with your preferred blend, Jiaoyan can be used as a kind of finishing salt or as a dip for roasted and fried things.

We love all the variations. But here we are taking liberties and expanding the definition of pepper to include not only Sichuan pepper but chili pepper, using gandie, or Sichuan dipping chilies , as our finishing dust on top of jiaoyan. They truly complement each other, since jiaoyan is numbing and salty and dipping chilies supply umami and heat. You can use either or both!

Can’t tell you how good this dish is. It’s similar to laziji, or Chongqing chicken , but, as my husband said, “Its better than chicken.” I’m sure those are fightin’ words to many, but in some ways it’s true—the fried squid is more crunchy, more tender and easier to make!

What Are Sichuan Dipping Chilies?

Dipping chilies is a Sichuan condiment that’s become very popular in the hotpot age in China. It is a blend of chilies and Sichuan pepper along with spices and usually nutty things like ground sesame, peanut and roasted soybeans. It is a spicy, nutty and tingly condiment with just the right amount of umami and heat. 

Dipping chiles are often served with Sichuan hotpot as a dry dip, an alternative and complement to a hotpot dipping sauce. It is especially popular for chuanchuanxiang, or the type of hotpot with the ingredients cooked on skewers. It’s also served as a dip for fried foods and I even had it once as the dip for little salty new potatoes roasted over fire at a rural Sichuan restaurant.

I like to say that a good gandie is one that tastes great licked straight off your fingers. We tasted many a Sichuan-made formulation for this dip as we were selecting one for The Mala Market, and not all are created equal. We held out until we found one that stands out! (Some of you may remember that we introduced a perfect version a few years ago, but then the maker inexplicably changed the formulation for the worse, and it took us a couple of years to find a worthy replacement.)

How to Make Jiaoyan

Simple Jiaoyan:

• Add 1/4 cup premium red Sichuan pepper, such as da hong pao or Tribute pepper , to a small, dry skillet. If you have cheap Sichuan pepper, you’ll need to pick out all the black seeds and twigs first. Better yet, don’t use cheap Sichuan pepper!
• Heat the huajiao over a low flame until it smells fragrant.
• Add 1 tablespoon salt and stir mixture constantly until the salt is lightly toasted. The peppercorns will turn from red to dark red, but do not brown or burn them. Remove mixture from pan and let it cool.
• Grind to a coarse powder in a mortar & pestle or to a fine powder in a spice grinder. Sift out the remaining husks if they bother you.

Complex Jiaoyan:

• Add 1/4 cup premium red Sichuan pepper, such as da hong pao or Tribute pepper, to a small, dry skillet with 1 tablespoon fennel seed. Heat the huajiao and fennel over a low flame until they smell fragrant.
• Add 1 tablespoon sesame seed and 1 1/2 tablespoons salt and stir constantly until both are lightly toasted. The peppercorns will turn from red to dark red, but do not brown or burn them. Remove mixture from pan and let it cool.
• Grind to a coarse powder in a mortar & pestle or to a fine powder in a spice grinder.

Preparing and Frying the Squid

You can use either fresh or frozen squid for salt-and-pepper squid. We’ve found that flash-frozen squid thawed when we are ready to make it (often on a weeknight!) is the way to go for us. (Whole Foods carries a good brand from Rhode Island.) Whether you include or don’t include the tentacles is up to you, but they add a super, contrasting texture to the proceedings. The Chinese way to prep the body is to open it up and score the insides in a crosshatch, then cut into squares, so that they roll up into interesting, ruffled shapes when cooked. I’ve found that the frozen squid are pretty small and thin, so the method doesn’t work as well. I generally just cut them into rounds à la calamari.

Salt-and-pepper squid is a Cantonese dish beloved far and wide. In Guangdong, the dish would most likely be stir-fried in little to no batter, just a dusting of flour or starch, and the jiao, or pepper, in jiaoyan would be white pepper . But we wanted a little bit more coating—not a thick, American-style breading, but a nice crunchy crunch. We decided to go with an egg white-flour-cornstarch batter. The trick is to get your hands in there and place the battered squid into the wok piece by piece, so it doesn’t stick together. Fry until deeply golden—don’t worry about overcooking the squid, because this will not do so. Deep-frying is easier, but I often shallow fry to use less oil.

Most of the batter will cling to the squid when you fry it, but some will form their own little delicious loose crispy bits. Be sure to include those in your final dish, piled on top with the crispy garlic, scallions and chilies, as they are one of the best parts. Dust generously with jiaoyan and/or dipping chilies so that your fried calamari yells Sichuan. You can take both condiments to the table too, in case you’re feeding some real mala-heads.

For other delicious fried foods with Sichuan flavors try my recipes for Chongqing Chicken With Chilies and a version of that dish made with lobster !

Ingredients 

Jiaoyan (pepper-salt).

• ¼ cup premium Sichuan pepper da hong pao or Tribute pepper
• 1 tablespoon fennel seed
• 1 tablespoon sesame seed
• 1½ tablespoon kosher salt

Salt-and-Pepper Squid

• 1 pound squid (aka calamari) tubes and tentacles fresh or thawed
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• 1 egg white
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons AP flour
• enough oil to shallow-fry or deep-fry
• 2 dried er jing tiao chilies, thinly sliced
• 5-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 3-4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• jiaoyan (pepper-salt) to taste
• Sichuan dipping chilies to taste

Instructions 

• Add 1/4 cup premium red Sichuan pepper to a small, dry skillet with 1 tablespoon fennel seed. If you have cheap Sichuan pepper, you'll need to pick out all the black seeds and twigs first. Better yet, don't use cheap Sichuan pepper! Heat the huajiao and fennel over a low flame until they smell fragrant.
• Add 1 tablespoon sesame seed and 1 ½ tablespoons salt and stir constantly until both are lightly toasted. The peppercorns will turn from red to dark red, but do not brown or burn them.
• Remove mixture from pan and let it cool. Grind to a coarse powder in a mortar & pestle or to a fine powder in a spice grinder.
• Slice calamari tubes into thick rounds, about 3 pieces per tube. Leave tentacles whole. Add to bowl with Shaoxing wine and marinate while you prep other ingredients.
• Drain off as much liquid as possible from the squid. Add egg white, cornstarch and flour to bowl and mix well. Add more cornstarch if necessary to make a thick but loose batter.
• Heat wok over a high flame. When hot, add enough oil to deep-fry. Alternatively, add enough oil to shallow-fry, but don't stint on the oil. When oil is hot, add half of the squid pieces to the wok piece by piece to prevent them sticking together. This is easiest done with your hands (carefully). Allow the battered squid to cook undisturbed until set, then fry it, flipping and stirring gently, until all sides are deeply golden. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Add more oil if needed and reheat. Fry second batch as you did the first.
• Remove all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the wok and return to low heat. Add chilies, garlic and white parts of scallions. Stir-fry until fragrant, but don't brown them. Add back fried squid, turn heat up to medium and stir-fry it all together. Add scallion greens and jiaoyan, stir through, then plate. Sprinkle generously with dipping chilies. Serve with extra jiaoyan and dipping chilies at table.

Tried this recipe?

Shop The Mala Market

Share this:

• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Fish & Seafood How to Cook With Dried Chilies How to Cook With Huajiao (Sichuan Pepper) Restaurant Classics Southwest (Sichuan, Yunnan)

About Taylor Holliday

The Mala Market all began when Taylor, a former journalist, created this blog as a place to document her adventures learning to cook Sichuan food for Fongchong, her recently adopted 11-year-old daughter. They discovered through the years that the secret to making food that tastes like it would in China is using the same ingredients that are used in China. The mother-daughter team eventually began visiting Sichuan’s factories and farms together and, in 2016, opened The Mala Market, America’s source for Sichuan heritage brands and Chinese pantry essentials.

Recipes you might like

Fish & Seafood

Green Sichuan Pepper Fish (Tengjiaoyu, 藤椒鱼)

Fish Vendor’s Shanghai Smoked Fish (Xunyu, 熏鱼) | Zoe Yang

How to Cook With Chinese Noodles

Yangzhou Dazhu Gansi (Simmered Tofu Noodles, 大煮干丝) | Zoe Yang

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

©2024 The Mala Market. All rights reserved. • Powered by CultivateWP .

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

How to make perfect salt and pepper squid

I still remember the thrill of my very first Chinese meal, in a restaurant in exotic St Albans back in the late eighties. There were banana fritters and hilarious chopstick lessons, pancakes you could eat with your hands and carrots carved to look like flowers; in short, it was an eight-year-old's dream meal ticket.

My tastes have changed slightly since then – I'm likely to be the one pushing for the pock-marked Mother Chen's bean curd , or the chilli tripe (while secretly hoping someone else will insist on the crispy duck ), but one thing I'm unable to resist, if it's on the menu, is salt and pepper squid. And it usually is, because whatever part of China they're from, restaurateurs are canny operators, and Cantonese spicy, salty fried food is always a winner.

The problem is, Chinese meals are all about sharing, and even people who claim to be scared of tentacles usually end up polishing off more of the portion than I'm strictly comfortable with. Time to make squid the main attraction at home, away from prying chopsticks.

The cephalopod itself

British squid is easy to come by in fishmongers – recipes vary as to the preparation method , with chef Ching-He Huang and Mitch Tonks recommending they are cut into rings, and most others suggesting triangles. I find these larger pieces hold the batter better, as does scoring one side in a diamond pattern, as suggested by Bill Granger and Rick Stein. (This is also supposed to stop them curling up quite so much during cooking, although it doesn't make a huge amount of difference when deep frying.) Baby squid are preferable if you like to crunch the tentacles as well (many people are squeamish; I think they're the best bit).

Not everyone is keen on a bit of batter: Rick Stein stir-fries his squid naked, but, pleasant as it is, it's missing the crunchy element that makes salt and pepper squid such pure joy to eat. The other recipes I try are more traditional. Sydney chef Ying Tam makes a batter from self-raising flour, vegetable oil and water, which wins the crunch competition, while Huang's egg and potato flour coating in her book China Modern is the lightest, and gives the best coverage. Of the also-rans, Bill Granger uses cornflour and soda water, which makes it crunchy, but relatively heavy, and Tonks's milk and cornflour coating, from his book Fish Easy, disappears into the fryer, never to be seen again. Potato flour and egg seems to be the wise choice here – almost tempura light, it comes closest to the real thing.

The seasoning

Batter's only a convenient vehicle for spice, however – and, for a dish with such a self-explanatory name, there's a remarkable diversity of opinion here. Huang and Granger are the only ones who really adhere to the description, although she uses white pepper and he goes for black. Stein and Tonks are faithful in a slightly fancier way, using a mixture of black and tingly, numbing Sichuan peppercorns, dry roasted until fragrant, which I love – the combination gives the batter a more assertive, complex peppery flavour. Tonks also chucks in some dried Sichuan chillies, but I decide to reserve this heat for the topping (of which more below). I like his idea of reserving some of the seasoning mixture to sprinkle over the cooked squid just before serving, however, so the dish packs a little extra punch. Tam , meanwhile, goes completely off piste with a homemade "five-spice mix" of ground ginger, celery powder, salt, five-spice and chicken stock powder, which, according to my culinarily sophisticated boyfriend "makes it taste like Pot Noodle". Whether or not that's true (of course, I wouldn't know), it certainly overwhelms the flavour of the poor squid.

The garnish

Actually, for salt and pepper squid, this is more than a mere garnish: the little crunchy morsels of fried chilli and onion that can be chased around the plate with chopsticks long after the last tentacle has been devoured are crucial, and nice as it is to have a spritz of lime juice and a sprig of coriander for freshness, I think Tonks is missing a trick by leaving them out. Sprinkling them on fresh, as Huang does, is also unsatisfactory – they should be cooked briefly, just to slightly caramelise them. That said, I find it well-nigh impossible, not to mention hazardous, to fish tiny pieces of chilli out of a pan of sizzling oil, as Tam suggests, so I'm going to cook them in a separate pan, and combine the two just before serving. He adds garlic, which I really like, but it has a tendency to burn, so keep it in slices, rather than chopping it finely. His final spritz of rice wine adds a pleasant zing to the dish, cutting through the fat, but I prefer the fresher flavour of the lime used byTonks and Grainger, especially at this time of year, when you might even fancy yourself sitting outside on the waterfront in Stanley, Shanghai or Sydney as you dine in the garden.

The cooking

Sadly, this is a dish whose deliciousness largely relies on deep frying. OK, Stein shallow fries his, but then, as we've discussed, that isn't quite the real deal. You can be all authentic, and do it in a wok, as most recipes suggest, but a deep pan will do just as well – or, of course, be like a real Chinese restaurant and use a deep-fat fryer. Serve with a salad, to slightly mitigate the guilt.

Perfect salt and pepper squid

350g small squid, cleaned

1/2tsp black peppercorns

1/2tsp Sichuan peppercorns

1tsp sea salt flakes

5tbsp potato flour

1 egg, beaten

Groundnut or vegetable oil, to fry

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced

2 spring onions, sliced

1 garlic clove, sliced

Fresh coriander and lime wedges, to serve

Separate the bodies of the squid from the tentacles, and cut them into triangles. Score the inside with a diamond pattern, making sure not to cut right the way through the flesh. Add to the tentacles, pat dry and set aside.

Heat a dry frying pan and add both varieties of peppercorn. Toast for a minute or so until fragrant, then tip into a pestle and mortar, along with the salt, and crush to a powder. Mix two-thirds of this with the potato flour in a shallow bowl and set the rest aside. Put the beaten egg into a second bowl.

Half fill a large pan or wok with oil, or use a deep fat fryer, and heat it to 180C, or until a small piece of bread browns in 15 seconds.

Meanwhile, dip the squid pieces in the egg, then in seasoned flour until well coated. Fry – in batches if necessary – until pale golden, stirring once to make sure they don't stick to the bottom.

As they're cooking, heat a further tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Use a slotted spoon to lift the cooked squid on to kitchen towel and tip the chilli, spring onion and garlic into the frying pan. Fry very briefly until it all starts to caramelise, then add the squid to the pan and toss together.

Tip on to a serving plate, sprinkle with a little more seasoning and serve with a little coriander and some wedges of lime.

Is salt and pepper squid your favourite Chinese takeaway treat, or would you make a case for prawn toast, wontons, or some more exotic fare? And, while we're talking squid, what else do you like to do with them and their tentacled relatives, the cuttlefish and the octopus?

• Chinese food and drink
• How to cook the perfect ...

More on this story

How to make the perfect asparagus tart

How to make perfect watercress soup

How to make the perfect Victoria sponge cake

How to make the perfect pad thai

How to make the perfect bloody mary

Felicity Cloake's perfect picnic

Felicity Cloake's chicken, chorizo and pepper pies recipe

How to make the perfect bakewell tart

How to cook the perfect gratin dauphinois

Comments (…), most viewed.

Salt and Pepper Squid

Home » Recipes » Salt and Pepper Squid

Ingredients    1x 2x 3x

• 700 g cleaned squid tubes cut into rings
• 100 g cornflour
• 100 g plain flour
• 2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp ground szechaun peppercorns crushed
• vegetable oil for deep frying
• 1 whole small onion sliced
• 1 whole red pepper sliced
• 2 whole spring onions finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves sliced
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions  

• Mix the cornflour and plain flour with the salt, cracked black pepper and Szechuan peppercorns and set aside. Pat the squid with kitchen roll to remove any surface moisture. This surprisingly helps the squid keep it’s succulence.
• Half-fill a wok or large saucepan with vegetable oil and heat to 180°c. Toss the squid in the flour mixture and fry in batches for 2-3 minutes, or until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to lift out the squid, and drain on kitchen roll
• In a separate wok, fry off the garlic and chilli in a little vegetable oil. Add in the onion, red pepper and spring onion and quickly stir fry until softened slightly. Add the squid to the wok and stir fry quickly until it is thoroughly coated. Plate and serve immediately with boiled white rice.

Sign Up To Our Email & Get 10% Off Your First Order

Sign Up To Our Emails & Get 10% Off Your First Order Sign up Here Close

• Privacy Overview
• Strictly Necessary Cookies

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

www.sbs.com.au/food

Salt and pepper fried squid with chilli

A mixture of chillies and spices give this famous fried squid its signature burst of flavour..

Chilli salt and pepper fried squid Credit: One World Kitchen

preparation

Ingredients

• 350 g squid, tubes and tentacles
• 1½ tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup (75 g) plain flour
• 1½ tbsp vegetable oil, plus vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 tsp  fresh ginger, minced
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp  red Thai chilli, seeded and minced
• 1 tbsp green Thai chilli, seeded and minced
• 2 tbsp Chinese chives, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

• Slice squid tubes into half inch rings by cutting horizontally across the body. If necessary, cut tentacles into bite-sized pieces. Add all pieces of squid to a mixing bowl.
• In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and diced garlic. Pour Shaoxing wine mixture over squid, toss to coat, and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
• Drain squid from marinade, and add flour to squid. Toss until all squid pieces are coated.
• Heat frying oil in wok over high heat to 180C (350 F).
• Add a third of the dredged squid to hot oil and fry until golden brown and crispy, around 3-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove squid from oil and place on a paper towel to remove excess liquid. Repeat in batches until all the squid pieces have been fried.
• In a new wok, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add ginger, spring onions, red and green Thai chillies. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.
• Add squid to hot wok with aromatics, and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add Chinese chives and toss together.
• Remove from heat, season with Chinese 5-spice, salt, and pepper. Toss one last time.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Have a story or comment? Contact Us

Share this with family and friends

More recipes like this

Amalul’s pandan bubble tea

Cocos Island

Lemon chilli chicken with turmeric rice

Green chilli nuoc mam with cooked tiger prawns

Adam Liaw's herb and spice karaage

Modern Asian

Garlic pork and mushroom stir-fry

Mozzarella mash

Zucchini loaf

Scandinavian

SBS Food Newsletter

Get your weekly serving. what to cook, the latest food news, exclusive giveaways - straight to your inbox..

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Bring the world to your kitchen

• Vacation Rentals
• Restaurants
• Things to do
• Elektrostal Tourism
• Elektrostal Hotels
• Elektrostal Bed and Breakfast
• Flights to Elektrostal
• Elektrostal Restaurants
• Things to Do in Elektrostal
• Elektrostal Travel Forum
• Elektrostal Photos
• Elektrostal Map
• All Elektrostal Hotels
• Elektrostal Hotel Deals
• Elektrostal Hostels
• Elektrostal Business Hotels
• Elektrostal Family Hotels
• Elektrostal Spa Resorts
• 3-stars Hotels in Elektrostal
• Elektrostal Hotels with Game room
• Elektrostal Hotels with Banquet hall
• Hotels near Electrostal History and Art Museum
• Hotels near Park of Culture and Leisure
• Hotels near Statue of Lenin
• Hotels near Museum and Exhibition Center
• Hotels near Museum of Labor Glory
• Hotels near (ZIA) Zhukovsky International Airport
• Hotels near (VKO) Vnukovo Airport
• Hotels near (DME) Domodedovo Airport
• Dreams Jade Resort & Spa
• Xafira Deluxe Resort & Spa
• Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
• The LINQ Hotel + Experience
• Bellagio Las Vegas
• Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana
• Isla Bella Beach Resort
• Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya
• Hotel Xcaret Mexico
• Hotel Tapasoli
• Excellence Punta Cana
• Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort
• Hotel Chester
• Barcelo Bavaro Palace All Inclusive Resort
• Aruba Ocean Villas
• Popular All-Inclusive Resorts
• Popular Beach Resorts
• Popular Family Resorts
• Popular All-Inclusive Hotels
• Popular Hotels With Waterparks
• Popular Honeymoon Resorts
• Popular Luxury Resorts
• Popular All-Inclusive Family Resorts
• Popular Golf Resorts
• Popular Spa Resorts
• Popular Cheap Resorts
• All Elektrostal Restaurants
• Cafés in Elektrostal
• Chinese Restaurants in Elektrostal
• European Restaurants for Families in Elektrostal
• European Restaurants for Large Groups in Elektrostal
• European Restaurants for Lunch in Elektrostal
• Fast Food Restaurants in Elektrostal
• French Restaurants in Elektrostal
• Italian Restaurants in Elektrostal
• Japanese Restaurants in Elektrostal
• Pizza in Elektrostal
• Russian Restaurants in Elektrostal
• Seafood Restaurants in Elektrostal
• Vegetarian Restaurants in Elektrostal
• GreenLeaders
• Elektrostal
• Things to Do
• Travel Stories
• Rental Cars
• Add a Place
• Travel Forum
• Travelers' Choice
• Help Center
• Europe    
• Russia    
• Central Russia    
• Moscow Oblast    
• Elektrostal    
• Elektrostal Restaurants    

Ratings and reviews

Location and contact.

PEKIN, Elektrostal - Lenina Ave. 40/8 - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor

NS Energy is using cookies

We use them to give you the best experience. If you continue using our website, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on this website.

We have recently upgraded our technology platform. Due to this change if you are seeing this message for the first time please make sure you reset your password using the Forgot your password Link .

CFR600 Nuclear Reactor Pilot Project

Power Nuclear Reactor

Project type :

Sodium-cooled fast-neutron demonstration reactor

Xiapu, Fujian province, China

600MWe (1,500MWt)

Construction Started :

December 2017

Expected Completion :

Developer :.

China Institute of Atomic Energy

Project Gallery

The CFR600 nuclear reactor is being constructed in Xiapu, China. Image courtesy of China National Nuclear Corporation.

The TEVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom will supply nuclear fuel for the CFR600 nuclear reactor.

CFR-600 prototype reactor project background

Cfr-600 reactor technology, safety features of the cfr-600, fuel supply for the cfr-600.

Notable Places in the Area

Elektrostal Satellite Map

Popular Destinations in Moscow Oblast

Escape to a random place.