Chinese Salt and Pepper Squid 🦑✨

Description

Chinese Salt and Pepper Squid is crisp, fragrant, lightly spicy, and deeply satisfying, with tender squid coated in a thin golden crust, tossed with garlic, chili, spring onion, and a warm salt-pepper seasoning. It has strong restaurant recognition, excellent visual appeal, and that premium seafood energy that makes it perfect for a polished GrannyZen Chinese recipe. ✨

Hook ✨

Crispy squid, sizzling garlic, fresh chili, and a fragrant peppery finish make this Chinese seafood classic bold, golden, and impossible to stop eating. 🥢

Ingredients

• Squid 🦑
• 🦑 600 g cleaned squid tubes and tentacles, sliced into rings (1.3 lb)
• 🧂 3 g fine salt (½ tsp / 0.1 oz)
• ⚪ 2 g white pepper (½ tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🍶 15 ml Shaoxing wine (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• 🥚 1 egg white
• 🌽 70 g cornstarch (½ cup / 2.5 oz)
• 🌾 30 g rice flour (¼ cup / 1 oz)
• Salt and pepper seasoning 🌶️
• 🧂 4 g fine salt (¾ tsp / 0.14 oz)
• ⚪ 3 g white pepper (¾ tsp / 0.1 oz)
• 🌶️ 2 g chili flakes (½ tsp / 0.07 oz)
• ⭐ 1 g five-spice powder, optional (¼ tsp / 0.03 oz)
• Aromatics 🧄
• 🧄 18 g garlic, finely chopped (4 cloves / 0.63 oz)
• 🌶️ 20 g red chili, finely sliced (2 small chilies / 0.7 oz)
• 🧅 40 g spring onion, finely sliced (½ cup / 1.4 oz)
• 🫚 8 g fresh ginger, finely minced (2 tsp / 0.28 oz)
• For frying 🔥
• 🌻 600 ml neutral oil, for frying (2½ cups / 20 fl oz)
• 🍋 1 lime or lemon, cut into wedges
• 🌿 10 g cilantro, optional (⅓ cup / 0.35 oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Dry the squid 🦑
2. Pat the squid very dry with kitchen paper. This step matters because excess moisture makes the coating heavy and stops the squid from frying crisp. ✨
3. 2️⃣ Season the squid 🥢
4. Toss the squid with salt, white pepper, Shaoxing wine, and egg white. Mix for 30 sec until lightly coated, then let it rest for 10 min while you prepare the seasoning and aromatics. 🦑
5. 3️⃣ Mix the pepper seasoning 🌶️
6. In a small bowl, combine the salt, white pepper, chili flakes, and five-spice powder if using. Keep it ready beside the stove because the final toss happens quickly. ✨
7. 4️⃣ Coat for crispness 🌽
8. Mix the cornstarch and rice flour in a wide bowl. Add the squid and toss until every piece is lightly coated. Shake off excess flour so the crust stays delicate rather than thick. 🥢
9. 5️⃣ Fry the squid 🔥
10. Heat the oil to 180°C (356°F). Fry the squid in small batches for 90 sec to 2 min until pale golden, crisp, and just cooked. Do not overcrowd the pan. Drain on a rack. 🦑
11. 6️⃣ Cook the aromatics 🧄
12. In a clean wok or skillet, add 15 ml of the hot frying oil (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz). Stir-fry garlic, ginger, chili, and spring onion for 45–60 sec until fragrant but not burned. 🌶️
13. 7️⃣ Toss and serve ✨
14. Add the fried squid to the wok, sprinkle over the salt and pepper seasoning, and toss for 30 sec until everything is glossy, fragrant, and evenly coated. Serve immediately with lime or lemon wedges and cilantro if using. 🥢

Total Time

⏱ Prep: 20 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 10 min
🛋 Rest: 10 min
⏰ Total: 40 min

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