Chargrilled stuffed squid with green bean, olive and tomato salad
This is lovely to eat in the garden on a warm day with a crisp cold glass of wine.
Ingredients
2 medium sized squid
2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
60g ciabatta breadcrumbs
½ lemon, juice and rind
2 tbsps fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
60ml olive oil, plus extra oil to drizzle
100g green beans, trimmed
1 vine-ripened tomato, diced
2 tbsps sherry vinegar
150g pitted kalamata olives, halved
Salt
Pepper
Method
Start with your squid. Pull the tentacles firmly to separate the head from the tube, pulling firmly but carefully so that you don't break the ink sac. If you look at the tentacles you have just pulled out you will see there is an 'eye'. Cut just below this and discard head and guts, just keeping the tentacles. If you feel at the top of the tentacles you will feel a hard gristle, cut this out and also discard. If you feel inside the tube you will feel something hard, it looks and feels like plastic, also discard this. Alternatively you can ask your fish monger to clean for you or if you get from a super market you will most likely find it has already been cleaned (although it may not come with tentacles). Wash the tube and tentacles inside and out and clean your knife and board.
Cut the squid tentacles into 1½cm length pieces.
Heat half of the olive oil in a frying pan, cook the anchovy, garlic and shallots until soft. Add the tentacles and cook for a couple of mins. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Meanwhile blanch your green beans in boiling water until they are cooked to your liking, roughly 2-3 minutes and drain and rinse in cold water.
Combine tentacle mixture in a bowl with lemon, parsley and breadcrumbs and with a small spoon, put the tentacle mixture into the squid tubes, leaving a 2cm gap so you can secure with a toothpick. Heat a frying pan on a medium heat and drizzle a little olive oil over the stuffed squid. Put the squid in the pan and cook until golden all over.
Meanwhile, put ½ tbsp of olive oil and the vinegar in a bowl, mix together and add the tomatoes, beans and olives and mix season lightly and check you are happy with the seasoning.
Divide the salad among the plates and a stuffed squid, spoon over any remaining dressing.
- Taken from MasterChef Australia Series One