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Squid Salad with Tamarind Sauce

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Serves 4

Ingredients

For sauce

2

tablespoons tamarind (from a pliable block)

1

/4 cup warm water

2

tablespoons fresh lime juice

1

1/2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (preferably nuoc mam)

2

garlic cloves, minced

2

teaspoons sugar

Tabasco to taste if not drizzling sriracha sauce on salad

1

pound cleaned large squid

1

/3 cup fresh basil leaves (preferably Thai basil), washed well and spun dry

1

/3 cup fresh mint leaves, washed well and spun dry

1

cup thinly sliced red onion

sriracha sauce (Asian chili sauce) to taste if desired

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Make sauce:

    Step 1

    In a bowl stir together tamarind and warm water, mashing tamarind gently, about 4 minutes and strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on solids. Add remaining sauce ingredients, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

    Step 2

    Flower-cut squid (procedure follows) or cut squid sacs crosswise into 1/2-inch ring and halve flaps crosswise. Halve large tentacles. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water cook squid 45 seconds, or just until opaque, and drain in a colander. Rinse squid under cold water to stop cooking and drain well. Add squid to sauce, tossing well. Salad may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring salad to room temperature before proceeding with recipe.

    Step 3

    Add herbs and onion to salad and toss well. Serve salad drizzled with sriracha sauce.

  2. To Flower-Cut Squid:

    Step 4

    Remove flaps from body sacs and reserve. Cut each body sac lengthwise along seam to form a flat piece and rinse squid well. Spread squid inner side up on a work surface. Holding a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle to work surface, score squid diagonally every 1/8 to 1/4 inch in a cross-hatch pattern. Score flaps in same manner. Cut squid into 1-inch pieces.