🦑 Salt and pepper squid
Salt and pepper squid is tender calamari dusted in cornstarch, fried until golden and crunchy, then tossed with salt, white pepper, garlic and fresh chili. It is crisp outside, tender inside and pleasantly spicy. Served piping hot with a wedge of lemon, it is a popular starter in Chinese restaurants and pubs alike.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g squid tubes, cleaned
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 red chili, sliced
- Oil for frying
- Lemon wedges to serve
Method
- Cut the squid open, score the inside in a criss-cross pattern and slice into strips.
- Mix the cornstarch with half the salt and pepper and toss the squid in it.
- Fry in very hot oil in small batches for 1–2 minutes until golden, then drain.
- Briefly fry the garlic and chili in 1 tsp oil, add the squid and the rest of the salt and pepper, toss and serve with lemon.
How to make it lighter
- Fry for the shortest time possible in very hot oil — the squid absorbs less fat.
- Air-frying the dusted squid gives a lighter version.
- Share it as a starter and fill up on a vegetable side.
History
The dish follows the Cantonese jiāo yán (salt and pepper) frying style, and became a standard of Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong and abroad. It is especially popular in Australia and the UK, where it appears on many non-Chinese menus too.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →