Vietnamese Stuffed Squid
Squid tubes form a perfect vessel for almost any sort of stuffing, this one uses seafood and Vietnamese flavours, but seasoned rice and other vegetables would also work well. Stuffed tubes can be steamed instead of pan-fried, omitting the flour coating.
Serves 6
6 x 250g Squid
250g green King Prawns, peeled and deveined
200g Redfish fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces
8 dried shiitake, soaked in warm water and sliced
10 water chestnuts, chopped
3 green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon castor sugar
Plain flour, to coat
Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
½ teaspoon castor sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 small red chilli, sliced
Clean and peel the Squid. Chop tentacles and side fins and wash tube well. Chop Prawns into bite-sized pieces.
Put fish into a food processor and process to a coarse mince. Transfer to a bowl. Add Prawns, Squid tentacles and side fins, mushrooms, water chestnuts, green onions, garlic, fish sauce, coriander, pepper and sugar. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours if time permits.
Stuff the Squid tubes three-quarters full with the mixture and secure the ends with toothpicks. Lightly dust with flour.
Heat a frying pan, add vegetable oil and heat. Pan-fry Squid over a medium heat, turning as required, for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through. When cooked, allow to rest for a couple of minutes before slicing.
Meanwhile, make Vietnamese Dipping Sauce: combine all ingredients.
Serve sliced Squid tubes with a small bowl of dipping sauce on the side.
Alternative Species: Flathead, Mullet or Ling (instead of Redfish), Calamari, Cuttlefish (instead of Squid).
For information on Squid, click here >