Squid & White Beans

We had a pack of prepared Squid in the freezer from months ago and we’re trying to clear a bit of space. We really are trying, but we just end up freezing pots of left over sauces etc. Endless battle! The Squid was part of a 3 for 1 Fish offer.

So a bit of Googling and recipe modification resulted in this:-

Ingredients:-


5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 Onions, diced
1 Stick of Celery, trimmed and diced
1 Fennel, trimmed of the tough outer leaves and cut into ¼-inch dice
2 Carrots, pealed and diced
Canned White Beans, drained
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon chopped fresh Rosemary (Foraged from a local bush)
2 tablespoons minced Garlic
250g of Squid. Cut into rings with the heads removed and set aside
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Parsley
300 ml of Fish Stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Squid Heads:-

Ingredients:-

2 Eggs, beaten
Cornflour
Turmeric
Salt & Pepper


Method:-


(1) Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat, add the Onion, Celery, Fennel and Carrot.
(2) Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook 5  minutes.
(3) This allows the vegetables to steam a little and start to get tender. Remove the lid, turn up the heat to medium and cook another 5 minutes.
(4) Add the Cannelloni Beans with the Fish Stock, the Lemon zest and chopped Rosemary and cook 5 minutes.
(5) Pat the squid dry with a paper towel.
(6) Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a second large frying pan, over medium high heat.
(7) Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
(8) Add the squid and cook 2 minutes, or until opaque.
(9) Season with salt and pepper and the lemon juice and transfer directly to the bean combination.
(10) Toss with parsley, drizzle with olive oil and serve warm or at room temperature.
(11) Add the battered Squid Heads as a further garnish. Be decadent, you know you want to!!!!

Battered Squid Heads:-

Method:-

(1) Heat a fryer to 160c.
(2) Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
(3) Coat the Squid Heads in beaten Egg and then dredge in the dry mix.
(4) Deep fry individually until golden brown.
(5) Drain over kitchen roll.

We used the battered heads as a garnish and served the whole meal in bowls. This was an outstanding flavour combination. Although it’s a couple of days ago now, we’re still remarking on it. If we must be in any way critical, the Squid rings only needed a minute, not two. But that aside, this was a cracking meal. Although the ingredients list looks expensive they are all very cheap.