Salt and Pepper Squid

Tender squid in a light, crackling cornflour coat, flash-fried and tumbled through a fragrant salt-and-pepper seasoning with garlic, spring onion and fresh chilli. It's the classic Cantonese starter that beats any takeaway, and the whole thing comes together in minutes.

This is the dish that empties the plate before anything else reaches the table. The trick is a bone-dry cornflour coat and oil hot enough to crisp the squid in seconds, so it stays sweet and tender rather than turning to rubber. Toasted Sichuan and white pepper give it that unmistakable tongue-tingling, savoury hit.

Ingredients

• 500g squid, cleaned — tubes and tentacles; ask the fishmonger to clean, or use frozen
• 100g cornflour
• 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns — or swap for extra black pepper
• 1 tsp white peppercorns
• 2 tsp flaky sea salt
• 0.5 tsp Chinese five-spice
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 red chillies, thinly sliced — deseed for less heat
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• 1 litre vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve

Method

1. If your squid isn't already prepped, pull the tentacles from the tubes, remove the clear quill and rinse. Slice the tubes open, score the inside in a fine crosshatch, then cut into 3-4cm pieces. Pat everything thoroughly dry with kitchen paper; dry squid is the difference between crisp and soggy.
2. Toast the Sichuan and white peppercorns in a dry pan over a medium heat for a minute until fragrant, then grind to a coarse powder with the flaky salt and five-spice. Set aside half in a small bowl for serving.
3. Put the cornflour in a bowl with a heaped teaspoon of your pepper mix. Toss the dry squid through it in batches so every piece is lightly coated, then shake off the excess in a sieve.
4. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pan to about 190°C, or until a pinch of cornflour sizzles briskly on contact. Never leave hot oil unattended.
5. Fry the squid in three or four small batches for 1-2 minutes each, until pale gold and crisp. It cooks fast and turns opaque and firm when done; lift out with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper and let the oil come back up to temperature between batches.
6. Carefully pour off all but a tablespoon of oil into a heatproof bowl. Return the pan to a high heat, add the garlic, chilli and spring onions and stir-fry for 30-40 seconds until fragrant but not browned.
7. Tip the squid back in, scatter over most of the remaining pepper salt and toss hard for 20 seconds so everything is coated and piping hot. Pile onto a plate, add a final pinch of the reserved seasoning and serve straight away with lime wedges.

Serve it with

• Lime wedges for squeezing
• A cold lager or crisp white wine
• Sweet chilli or sriracha mayo for dipping
• Steamed jasmine rice to make it a light meal
• A crunchy pickled cucumber salad

Why this works

Crosshatch scoring lets the squid curl and stay tender, while the cornflour coat crisps in seconds so the flesh never overcooks into rubber. Toasting the peppercorns wakes up their aromatic oils for that signature tingle.

Common swaps

• No squid? Raw peeled king prawns work beautifully with the same coating and timing.
• Swap Sichuan peppercorns for a good grind of black pepper if you can't find them.
• Use rice flour instead of cornflour for an even lighter, crackly coat.
• Fry in a wok with 3-4cm of oil if you don't want to use a full litre.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Skipping the drying step, so the coating goes claggy and the oil spits.
• Overcrowding the pan, which drops the oil temperature and steams the squid.
• Cooking too long, which turns tender squid tough and chewy.
• Seasoning too early, so the salt draws out moisture before frying.

Storage, freezing & reheating

Storage: Best eaten immediately while crisp. Any leftovers keep in the fridge for up to a day but will soften.

Reheating: Reheat in a hot oven or air fryer for a few minutes to re-crisp; avoid the microwave, which makes it rubbery.

Allergen notes: contains Molluscs. Always check individual product labels.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated from typical ingredient values — not a substitute for precise dietary calculation.