Salt and Pepper Cuttlefish

If you are like me and you love fried calamari, you will also love this dish. Think of it as the meatier, more substantial version of fried calamari. If you are not familiar with cuttlefish, it is in the same class as squid and octopus. The flavor is very similar to squid but it is much thicker and has great texture. In this dish, pieces of cuttlefish are coated in batter, deep-fried, and then stir-fried with chilies, garlic, and scallions. The dish is finished with a generous dusting of a special salt and pepper mix that contains some aromatic spices. I like serving this dish as an appetizer or as part of a larger meal along with some white rice.

Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish can be a bit difficult to find in your typical grocery store. Your best bet is to try to source it from a large Asian/Chinese grocery store, online, or from your local seafood market. If you can find it fresh, make sure you peel off the outer skin and remove the viscera before following this recipe. I typically buy it frozen and cleaned.

You could use squid for this preparation and yield delicious results, but it won’t be quite as meaty and substantial.

Cooking Method

The cooking method is simple but involves a few steps. The cuttlefish is cut into pieces and then lightly marinated in Chinese cooking wine and white pepper. This is then combined with egg, cornstarch, and flour to form a batter that coats the cuttlefish. The cuttlefish is then fried twice. After the first fry, the cuttlefish is allowed to rest for a couple of minutes. Any steam and juices that may have released after cooking once will make the batter slightly soggy. The cuttlefish is then fried again to re-crisp up the batter. That being said, this dish is not supposed to be super crispy, the batter is meant to be a bit softer and complement the meaty cuttlefish.

After frying, the pieces of cuttlefish are quickly stir fried with garlic, long hot peppers and scallion. The dish is seasoned with a blend of of salt, MSG, white pepper, chili, Sichuan peppercorn, and star anise.

Make it a meal with:

• Mapo Tofu
• Twice Cooked Pork
• Stir-fried pea leaves with garlic
• Steamed jasmine rice

Salt and Pepper Cuttlefish

Ian Benites

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

  

Salt and Pepper Mix

• 2 Tbsp salt (18 grams)
• 1 tsp white peppercorn (3 grams)
• 1.5 tsp sichuan peppercorn (1 gram)
• 1/3 of a star anise pod (1 gram)
• 5 dried Sichuan chilies (2 grams, can substitute chili powder)
• 1.5 tsp MSG
• 1/2 tsp sugar

Battered Cuttlefish

• 1-1.5# fresh or frozen whole cuttlefish
• 1 tsp Shaoxing wine (optional)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 5 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Finished dish

• 4 scallions
• 1 or 2 long hot green chili (could also use jalapeno)
• 10 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp salt and pepper mix (recipe above)
• 6-8 cups neutral-flavored cooking oil, for frying

Instructions

 

Salt and Pepper mix

• Combine the salt, chili, star anise, white pepper, and Sichuan peppercorn. Leave the sugar and MSG aside for now.
  
• Place into a small saute pan and toast over medium heat until spices become aromatic and the chilies start to darken slightly. About 3-4 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
  
• Once salt and spices have cooled to room temperature, add the sugar and MSG. Grind everything into a fine powder using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
  
• This will yield more salt and pepper mix than you need for the recipe. Any leftover can be stored for later use in an airtight container.

Cleaning and Battering the Cuttlefish

• If the cuttlefish is frozen, thaw it out in a bowl of cold running water. If you purchased a fresh cuttlefish, peel off the outer skin and remove the viscera from the mantle.
  
• Separate the head and legs from the mantle by pulling them apart with your hands. Set head and legs aside for now.
  
• Separate the mantle from the outer fins by pulling them apart with your hands. Set the fins aside for now.
  
• Open up the mantle and remove any viscera if they are present. There are two small protrusions that can be a bit hard. Cut them out with a knife and discard.
  
• Cut the mantle into manageable pieces and use your fingers to feel around, if you feel any particularly hard edges, cut them away with a knife and discard.
  
• Use a knife to score the outside of the mantle in a cross-hatch pattern about 1/8 – 1/4 inch deep. This step is optional but will slightly tenderize the cuttlefish.
  
• Cut the mantle into strips that are roughly 1.5 x 0.5 inches. Set aside.
  
• The arms can be cut into 1.5 inch lengths and set aside. You can also use some of the head if you feel around and only use the softer, meatier parts.
  
• The fins can also be used. Simply cut away any bits that feel hard and cut the fins into 1.5 inch pieces
  
• Combine all the pieces of cuttlefish in a bowl and marinate with the Shaoxing wine and white pepper for 5 minutes.
  
• Add the egg to the mixing bowl and mix well to combine.
  
• Add the flour and cornstarch to the bowl and mix well with your hands. The starches should form a relatively thick batter that coats the cuttlefish. If the batter is thin, add more flour, a spoonful at a time, to thicken it up.
  

Final Assembly

• Lightly crush the garlic cloves and cut them into thick slices (1/8th inch). Set aside
  
• Slice the peppers into 1/4 inch rounds.
  
• Remove the root from the scallions and cut them into 1.5 inch lengths. The green and white parts can be used.
  
• Heat the oil in a large work or pot to 350F over medium-high heat. Don't fill the cooking vessel more than halfway or you may have a boil-over which can be very dangerous.
  
• When the oil reaches 350F, carefully scatter the pieces of battered cuttlefish into the oil so that they do not clump together. Immediately stir the cuttlefish once it is in the oil to separate any pieces that may have stuck together.
  
• Allow the cuttlefish to fry for about 2-3 minutes at 350F.
  
• Use a strainer or slotted spoon to lift the cuttlefish from the hot oil. Set it aside in the strainer or on a plate and let it rest for 2-3 minutes. Keep oil at 350F while cuttlefish is resting
  
• After cuttlefish has rested, the steam inside the cuttlefish will have slightly softened the crust. Place the cuttlefish back in the hot oil for another minute to crisp it back up.
  
• Remove the cuttlefish from the oil and set aside in the strainer or on a plate lined with paper towels.
  
• If you were using a wok, empty out the oil and clean the wok. If you were frying in a pot, set it aside and grab a large saute pan.
  
• Heat the wok or sautee pan over high heat and add 2 tbsp of cooking oil. When the oil is smoking, add the sliced garlic and immediately follow it with the sliced chilies. Stir fry for about 10 seconds.
  
• Add the scallions and stir fry for about 15 more seconds. All the vegetables should have some light browning but not be burnt.
  
• Add the cuttlefish to the pan and stir fry everything together over high heat for 20-30 seconds.
  
• While you are stir-frying, sprinkle on 1 Tbsp of the salt and pepper mix that you made earlier.
  
• After stir-frying for 20-30 seconds, turn off the heat and taste a piece of cuttlefish. It should be pleasantly salty. If it needs more seasoning, add more salt and pepper mix.
  
• Plate and enjoy.