Poor squid. It gets such a bad rap sometimes.
I'm convinced that Jules Verne and H.P. Lovecraft probably never had good grilled squid in their lifetimes, because if they had, they'd never have used giant squid as the villains in their stories.
(Though, I suppose casting a giant chunk of angry jellied tongue or a humongous mutant broccoli in the squid's place would have presented a different set of challenges...)
In my experience, most people who say they don't like squid are basing it on an encounter with a basket of overcooked breaded calamari at a bar somewhere, a dish which has more in common with deep-fried rubber bands than it does with actual squid.
Which is a shame, because you may as well swear off fish based on a bad experience with a Filet O' Fish.
The problem is that ordering squid in a restaurant will mean one of two things - either it's sublime and tender, or it's as edible as old boot leather. That's because squid has to be cooked very very briefly or very very long in order to be edible, and anything in between ends up as a rubbery mess.
Besides, cooking squid at home is actually a heck of a lot easier than you might think. All it takes is a quick soak in a spicy marinade with some North African flavours, then an even quicker jump onto a really hot grill.
Before you know it, you'll be sitting down to a plateful of char-grilled deliciousness that bears absolutely no resemblance to a deep-fried rubber band.
Since we used small baby calamari, we threaded the bodies onto bamboo skewers to avoid any mishaps on the grill, as I'm of the firm opinion that squid belongs in my mouth and not in the coals.
However, you can just as easily prepare this recipe with full-sized squid, if that's what you can get. The bigger squid can be cooked directly on the grill, but I'd still suggest skewering the tentacles for easier grilling, as they tend to be rather slippery little fellows.
Also, I try to buy my squid pre-cleaned to save myself the headache of cleaning them myself, but if you're more of a DIY type, there's a great step-by-step tutorial for cleaning squid on Kalofagas that can help you out (along with a really great Greek-style recipe for grilled calamari, if you'd like something more on the traditional side)
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Spicy Grilled Calamari
- Total Time: 41 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
A spicy Moroccan-inspired marinade makes for a great untraditional twist to the usual grilled calamari. Make sure to serve with lots of crusty bread to mop up all the delicious sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 lb cleaned baby squid (tubes and tentacles)
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp each salt and pepper
- pinch cayenne
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 lemon
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Bamboo skewers
- Lemon wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl or zip-top bag, stir together the smoked paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic, along with the zest from the lemon. Add ¼ cup olive oil, stirring until you have a smooth, runny paste.
- Juice the lemon into a separate bowl. Spoon in 2 tbsp of the paprika mixture and stir until combined. Set aside.
- Add the squid to the remaining paprika mixture, and toss to coat evenly with marinade. Cover bowl with plastic wrap (or seal the bag, if using) and refrigerate for at least half an hour to marinate.
- While the squid is marinating, soak the skewers in cold water to prevent them from charring, and get the grill started so that it has time to preheat.
- When ready to cook, gently thread the squid bodies and tentacles onto skewers (I like to use two skewers to prevent the food from spinning around, but it's not totally necessary).
- Place the skewers directly onto the preheated grill, and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side or just until the squid turn opaque. Remove from heat right away, and drizzle with the reserved marinade. Garnish with lemon wedges. Serve piping hot with a loaf of crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
- Prep Time: 35 mins
- Cook Time: 6 mins
- Category: Main
Oaklee Lee says
Hi, just made the dish today. Not too sure why the squid gave out so much water when I placed it on the pan to fry. Yours was so dry. Do you have to leave it to drip dry for some time first? By the way, the sauce is awesome. Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Cara says
I recently tried grilled calamari for the first time in Greece. I agree, such a difference from the typical American fried stuff!
wannafoodie says
YAYAYAY! This is awesome. And a top 9 to boot! The nerdy-awesome HP Lovecraft intro just drives it all home.
Now that the storm clouds have dissipated, I may venture to the barbeque again... hopefully no fire this time. ;)
Magdalena says
Congrats for top9. The dish looks light and tasty!
Stella says
Yum, I love grilled calamari-and I like that your'e a bad girl (smile)...
Isabelle says
Thanks, everyone!
Ruby, I'd love to hear what the kids think of it! (When I was little, I liked eating the tentacles because they looked like little alien critters.. but then again, I was a weird child)
Dennis, I never realised that, and I've watched Star Wars so many times I've lost count. That's hilarious! :)
Torviewtoronto says
Looks lovely
Chef Dennis says
wow.....I stopped by to congratulate on the top 9, and I am so glad I did!! what an incredible way to prepare squid!! it looks deeee-licious!
Did you know that the home planet of Admiral Ackbar(a big Talking Fish) on star wars, was Calamari? I hadn't heard of calamari at that point in my life....just thought it was funny some 20 years later when I saw the movie again
all the best
Dennis
Linn @ Swedish Home Cooking says
Spicy calamari on the grill. Mmm! Sounds super delicious. Squid is something I've never made at home. I should try, though!
Ruby says
Ha - a giant chunk of angry jellied tongue would freak the hell out of me! But breaded, deep-fried calamari turns me off almost as much, which is why I love that you grill these. I may have to turn down the heat on the spices so my kids will eat it, but I do love the spin you give this.
Belinda @zomppa says
I agree - squid is sublime. It's so much easier to make at home than folks think. Love the spices. I might have to make this tomorrow!
Kathryn says
That looks amazing! You should submit the recipe to Recipe4Living! Each day this month, we’re giving away a t-shirt to our favorite new recipe!
fortheloveofyum says
Lovely! The smokey flavors with a squeeze of lemon must be divine. Thank you for demystifying cooking squid at home!
Isabelle says
Thanks for the lovely comments, everyone.
Glad to give you the shout-out, Peter. I'm a big fan of your blog... it's one of my go-to's when I need a Greek food fix. :)
LLL, I like grilled cheese made with Wonderbread and Kraft Singles. I won't judge if you don't. ;)
Carrie says
I've never had calamari grilled before, but it sounds like a great idea! Love that spice combination.
Lawyer Loves Lunch says
Oooh, these look good. Come to think of it, I've never cooked calamari at home. Oh, and I feel it necessary to confess that I also enjoy Fillet O' Fish every now and again :)
www.joeyngoy.com says
love calamari. period. this looks delish!!!!!!
A Thought For Food says
This is a great recipe! We tend to cook shrimp a lot, but I would love to put some calamari on the grill!
Peter M says
Nicely done, I like how you skerered the squid and I have just started using a little cumin with seafood - it's wonderful!
Thank you for the kind mention.