Provençal Stuffed Squid
I first tried this dish at Bistrot Leo in New York City, and it was delightful. Flavorful, tender, squid with a uniquely herbaceous and savory filling, paired with a tangy, peppery arugula salad. This time, I made a red wine vinaigrette (page 240 of Salt Fat Acid Heat). I've always wanted to recreate it, and here's my first attempt. See Notes/Tips for a link to the recipe. I made quite a few mistakes and definitely had some places for improvement, but overall I was pretty happy with how this turned out. A pretty involved dish, certainly not a day to day dish, but super delicious!
Active Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr
Ingredients
> squid (1.5 lbs cleaned tubes + tentacles)
> white wine (1 cup)
> arugula
> salt, pepper, olive oil
Stuffing:
> chard (12 oz)
> onion (1)
> breadcrumbs (1/4 cup)
> parsley (3 tbsp), thyme (2 tsp chopped), rosemary (1/2 tsp chopped)
> anchovy filets (4)
> garlic (4 cloves minced)
> lemon zest (2 tsp)
> salt, black pepper, cayenne, olive oil
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients for the stuffing:
1. Blanch the chard in salted boiling water for 1 minute. Immediately drain, cool under running water, squeeze dry, and finely chop. Set aside.
2. Cook breadcrumbs in a pan with olive oil over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes, until browned and toasted. Remove and set aside.
3. Saute diced onion in a pan with olive oil over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until softened and lightly colored.
4. Add parsley, thyme, rosemary, anchovies, garlic, and cayenne. Cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes.
5. Mix chard, bread crumbs, and lemon zest with the onion mixture. Set aside and adjust for seasoning.
Making the squid and final touches:
6. Rinse the squid well and pat dry.
7. Fill each squid body. Make sure not to overstuff the squid - it will expand. Secure the open ends with a toothpick. Season the squid with salt and pepper.
8. Sear / pan fry the squid in a pan with olive oil over medium-high heat until lightly browned on all sides.
9. Add the tentacles, and then add the white wine. Cover and cook until the squid bodies and tentacles are tender and firm - about 1 minute. Uncover and slightly reduce, about 1 minute.
10. Serve over a bed of arugula salad. Enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> Be sure to seal the open end carefully. The first time I did this, there was a bit of a leak and some of the breadcrumbs ended up seeping into the white wine sauce.
> The squid will likely expand when you cook it in the pan, and there will likely be some oil splatter. Avoid overstuffing the squid - otherwise it might burst.
> I didn't get enough color when frying the squid; that's something I'll try to achieve better next time.
> One nice thing about this dish is that much of the preparation can be done beforehand. Everything up until actually cooking the squid can be done as prep work, leaving only around 10 minutes of active work before serving. This is really nice when you're hosting a dinner party and there are a whole bunch of other things you're managing.
> I think this pairs amazingly with the arugula salad. I used a red wine vinaigrette. Of course, what vinaigrette you use doesn't really matter; use whatever you prefer.
> Link to sourced recipe: https://www.saveur.com/provencal-stuffed-squid-recipe/