How to make salt and pepper squid – recipe

Crisp, salty and pungently aromatic, this dish pairs hot, crunchy batter with soft, creamy squid. It’s easy enough to make for dinner tonight. Use small sustainably-sourced squid, cleaned and defrosted if necessary. If you’re not a fan of the cephalopod, the recipe can be adapted to small pieces of chicken or fish, whole prawns or mushrooms.

Separate the bodies from the tentacles, cut the body open and into bite-sized triangles, and score the inside in a diamond pattern. Pat the squid thoroughly so the batter doesn’t go soggy. Toast black or white and Sichuan peppercorns briefly until fragrant, then crush with salt to a powder.

Mix most of this pepper blend with potato starch and a pinch of MSG if you like, and beat an egg in a second bowl to add crunch. Dip each piece in egg, shake off excess, then roll in the seasoned potato starch and fry in batches until curled and pale golden.

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