Photo by Martin Poole
I’ve been trying, testing, and tweaking this salt and pepper squid recipe since my university days—endless hours of deep-frying bits of squid of all shapes and sizes in different batters. I’ve tried making it with egg, without egg, with different flours, in different oils, yet I ALWAYS come back to the simplest option: no egg, just plenty of seasoned cornstarch or potato starch and a clean vat of high-heating oil. The oil must be nice and clean to ensure you get a good golden brown finish, which is especially important for something as waxy and delicate as squid.
Cook's note:
Make sure you add the squid to the wok immediately as the chiles will kick up a lot of smoke in the pan if you hang around!
