Recipe: Deep-Fried Squid with Chipotle Mayonnaise
Page: 38
Date Cooked: December 9, 2011
Fried seafood is one of those items that if done right tastes pretty damn amazing. You could eat it on its own, put it in a sandwich, and even put it in nachos (something I most recently discovered). All in all, given my last experience with JW's fried seafood recipe (Fried Shrimp with Caper Mayonnaise), I was pretty excited about this one.
My grocer carries cleaned squid, so I didn't have to bother with the cleaning. I cut the squid bodies into rings and placed them into a container. I covered the squid with milk and put the container in the refrigerator.
In the meantime, I proceeded to make the chipotle mayonnaise. I pureed the canned chipotle chiles and put them into a bowl. I whisked in the egg yolks and lemon juice. I then continued to whisk as I slowly dribbled in the olive oil. And voila...I got mayonnaise. I seasoned it with some salt and pepper and put it in the fridge. So my trick in mayo-making has been to use an immersion blender rather than a whisk. Ever since I switched to this method - I have been successful in the mayo-making department!
Luckily, there wasn't much prep work required for this recipe. So with the squid soaking in milk and mayo out of the way, I pulled the parsley leaves off the stems and sliced the lime.
While the corn oil heated, I began coating the squid. I put the cornmeal into a container, drained the squid, and tossed the squid with the cornmeal. I fried the squid in batches until they achieved a golden brown, removing them with a Chinese mesh skimmer.
Once all the squid had been fried, I added the parsley into the oil. Jonathan Waxman warns about splattering, and he was not joking! I got hot oil everywhere. Luckily, I was somewhat prepared. I fried the parsley for just a few second and removed it with the mesh skimmer.
Finally, I was ready to put all the items together. I put chipotle mayonnaise into a small ramekin. I put the squid onto a plate and garnished it with the lime slices, fried parsley, and minced red and green bell peppers. And it was ready to eat....
The chipotle mayonnaise was super delicious. Definitely had a kick to it, but I like spicy and therefore enjoyed it thoroughly. The rest of the dish however felt somewhat one note. I ended up getting more lime because the dish felt like it lacked acid. I wish I had more of the fresh red and green bell peppers because every other component felt heavy. Also, the only seasoning going on in the dish was the chipotle mayonnaise. And when I think about it, much of it has to do with the fact that the squid had no seasoning what-so-ever. If I did it again, I would probably add salt and pepper to the cornmeal.
There is no doubt that the dish was visually pleasing but I kept comparing it to the Fried Shrimp with Caper Mayonnaise, which had a lot of flavor and didn't feel soo heavy. All in all, this recipe may have to go into the not so great bucket. However, its one saving grace was the mayonnaise - which I ate on sandwiches for a number of days afterward.
Page: 38
Date Cooked: December 9, 2011
Fried seafood is one of those items that if done right tastes pretty damn amazing. You could eat it on its own, put it in a sandwich, and even put it in nachos (something I most recently discovered). All in all, given my last experience with JW's fried seafood recipe (Fried Shrimp with Caper Mayonnaise), I was pretty excited about this one.
 |
| Ingredients: Squid, milk, olive oil, canned chipotle chiles, eggs, lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley, lime, corn oil, cornmeal, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper |
My grocer carries cleaned squid, so I didn't have to bother with the cleaning. I cut the squid bodies into rings and placed them into a container. I covered the squid with milk and put the container in the refrigerator.
 |
| Left: Rings of squid Right: Squid covered with milk |
In the meantime, I proceeded to make the chipotle mayonnaise. I pureed the canned chipotle chiles and put them into a bowl. I whisked in the egg yolks and lemon juice. I then continued to whisk as I slowly dribbled in the olive oil. And voila...I got mayonnaise. I seasoned it with some salt and pepper and put it in the fridge. So my trick in mayo-making has been to use an immersion blender rather than a whisk. Ever since I switched to this method - I have been successful in the mayo-making department!
 |
| Chipotle mayo-making process |
Luckily, there wasn't much prep work required for this recipe. So with the squid soaking in milk and mayo out of the way, I pulled the parsley leaves off the stems and sliced the lime.
 |
| Left: Parsley leaves Right: Sliced of lime |
While the corn oil heated, I began coating the squid. I put the cornmeal into a container, drained the squid, and tossed the squid with the cornmeal. I fried the squid in batches until they achieved a golden brown, removing them with a Chinese mesh skimmer.
 |
| Fried cornmeal battered squid |
Once all the squid had been fried, I added the parsley into the oil. Jonathan Waxman warns about splattering, and he was not joking! I got hot oil everywhere. Luckily, I was somewhat prepared. I fried the parsley for just a few second and removed it with the mesh skimmer.
 |
| Fried parsley |
Finally, I was ready to put all the items together. I put chipotle mayonnaise into a small ramekin. I put the squid onto a plate and garnished it with the lime slices, fried parsley, and minced red and green bell peppers. And it was ready to eat....
 |
| Deep-Fried Squid with Chipotle Mayonnaise |
The chipotle mayonnaise was super delicious. Definitely had a kick to it, but I like spicy and therefore enjoyed it thoroughly. The rest of the dish however felt somewhat one note. I ended up getting more lime because the dish felt like it lacked acid. I wish I had more of the fresh red and green bell peppers because every other component felt heavy. Also, the only seasoning going on in the dish was the chipotle mayonnaise. And when I think about it, much of it has to do with the fact that the squid had no seasoning what-so-ever. If I did it again, I would probably add salt and pepper to the cornmeal.
There is no doubt that the dish was visually pleasing but I kept comparing it to the Fried Shrimp with Caper Mayonnaise, which had a lot of flavor and didn't feel soo heavy. All in all, this recipe may have to go into the not so great bucket. However, its one saving grace was the mayonnaise - which I ate on sandwiches for a number of days afterward.
Enjoy!
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