Chicharrón de Calamar

Ingredients

• 1 lb squid, cleaned with tentacles separated
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 2 whole limes
• ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed
• 2 whole fresh ají verde peppers (or 2 jalapeños), roughly chopped
• 1 whole garlic clove, peeled

Instructions

1. 1

   Pat the squid dry with paper towels—both the rings and tentacles—so they crisp instead of steam when fried.

2. 2

   Hold each squid ring upright on the cutting board and slice straight down through the middle to create two half-rings, about 1/4-inch thick.

3. 3

   Leave the tentacles whole; if any are longer than 3 inches, cut them in half crosswise with a knife.

4. 4

   Pour 0.75 cup flour into a shallow bowl or plate, add 0.5 teaspoon salt and 0.25 teaspoon black pepper, then stir with a fork until evenly mixed.

5. 5

   Roughly chop the ají verde peppers into 1-inch chunks, discarding the stems; peel the garlic clove; place both in a blender with the cilantro.

6. 6

   Squeeze the juice from both limes into the blender—you should have about 3 tablespoons of juice—then add 0.5 teaspoon salt.

7. 7

   Blend the cilantro mixture on high speed until it turns into a smooth, bright-green sauce, about 30 seconds; pour into a small bowl and set aside.

8. 8

   Pour 3 cups vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pot and heat over medium-high heat until the surface shimmers and a tiny piece of squid sizzles immediately when dropped in, about 5 minutes.

9. 9

   Working in two batches to avoid crowding, coat the squid pieces and tentacles thoroughly in the flour mixture, shaking off excess, then carefully place them in the hot oil.

10. 10

    Fry the first batch for 1 to 1.5 minutes, stirring once halfway through with a slotted spoon, until the squid turns golden-brown and feels crispy when poked.

11. 11

    Use the slotted spoon to transfer the cooked squid to a paper-towel-lined plate; sprinkle lightly with salt while still hot.

12. 12

    Repeat steps 9–11 with the remaining squid, allowing the oil to return to a shimmer between batches, about 3 minutes.

13. 13

    Divide the hot crispy squid between two small plates, placing it in a loose mound in the center of each plate.

14. 14

    Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the ají verde sauce onto the side of each plate, leaving the crispy squid exposed so it stays crunchy.

Tools you’ll need

• cutting board
• sharp knife
• paper towels
• shallow bowl or plate
• fork
• blender
• small bowl
• heavy-bottomed pot (at least 3-quart capacity)
• deep-fry or candy thermometer (optional but helpful)
• slotted spoon
• two dinner plates

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