Marinated BBQ Plancha Squid - Recipe

Ingredients

• Squid cleaned 2-3 large bodies and the tentacles (fresh or defrosted from frozen)

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Cracked Black pepper (Tellicherry or Kampot are my favourites)

• Chilli Flakes – I say a sprinkle, but enough to give a good background heat

• Sea salt for seasoning

• Lemon wedges to serve

Preparation

Put wide bladed knife inside the squid body and slice through on one side with another knife in a series of slashes down to the inserted knife. This allows more edges for charring but keeps the body whole and moist during cook.

Add enough oil to coat the squid but not drench it, including the tentacles. Add fresh cracked black pepper and chilli flakes and mix around with your hands in a large bowl to ensure everything is distributed evenly. Place in fridge to marinate for 2-4 hrs.

Take out of the fridge 15-20 mins before you are ready to cook.

Head for the bbq, I use a ceramic kamado bbq and usually get it up to 250c+ with either the regular or a cast iron grate or griddle. I have also used my Thuros tabletop to great affect a number of times for this using a evenly lit layer of lump charcoal. I prefer birch wood charcoal with seafood, but have used beech, orange and regular hardwood charcoal mixes.

Add a good sprinkle of sea salt right before cooking.

Cooking

Place the squid bodies cut side down and lay out the tentacles in a flat layer as even as you can get them. Cook for 3-4mins on this first side to get a charred layer on the outside, you are looking for a medium brown colour and for the squid to turn white rather than translucent as it is when raw. Flip these over, along with the tentacles which also should have charred edges.

Cook for a further 2 minutes on the second side and until the tentacles have an even char.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

When chargrilled you can leave whole or serve in large sliced pieces, there will be a pleasant contrast of the charred outside to the clean white of the inside.