Spins On Squid

Squid or calamari is one of those foods that people either love or hate.The way it's cooked is probably the cause of this polarization.Yet if done right the meat can be rich in a briny sense and also tender.Most calamari recipes recipes call for overcooking.It's time to change that way of thinking and cooking. David Tanis explored this in his A City Kitchen column in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.He gives hints as well as recipes for this sustainable seafood.The best squid to buy are ones that have pinkish purple skin that's agleam to it.Also the eyes should be bright.You can buy it already cleaned and ready to cook. This means the fish has been gutted ,scraped and rinsed and divided into bodies or tubes and tentacles.What is great about it is that it can hold up to any seasoning or spicing.It can be good mildly seasoned or doused with a myriad of flavorings.Mr Tanis gives the recipe for a Chinese style crisp fried squid with five spices.This is a more sophisticated version of calamari with a batter liberally laced with the five spice mix.You can make this at home using,fennel seeds, star anise, cinnamon and Szechuan pepper.After fringe in just vegetable oil for two minutes, sprinkle cilantro and diced Serrano chiles over them.Serve with lime . Mr Tanis also recommend roasting them.Squid retains it's tenderness when cooked quickly and this another good way to do it.His recipe is Spanish style ,fired with chorizo and pimenton.Roast ,not on a grill, but in hot oven.It and the fragrant gravy that the combination makes is good spooned over baby spinach and Yukon Gold potatoes.Another way of cooking the seafood is braising.However it has to be cooked for an entire hourvto return to that soft ,slightly chewy tenderness.This would be a better winter dish with tomatoes and leeks.However you could try a spin on bouillabaisse by adding the braised squid.The best bet for the warm weather is a quick method.Another idea, not mentioned is out door grilling and then serving the squid with a lemon butter sauce. squid done well is heaven.The key is a short cooking time for a tender, tasty fish.Your opinion of it being gummy, tough calamari will change upon trying it these three ways.