On my plate this week was Fried Squid, also known by the Italian name – Calamari. I love squid and everywhere I go – locally, regionally or internationally – if Fried Squid is on the menu, you bet I am ordering it.
Over the years there have been more misses than hits when eating out and having Fried Squid – they have been mostly overcooked, hard. The best that I have eaten to date was at Mike Ditka’s restaurant in Chicago in the United States.
Squid is related to octopus and is a seafood that cooks up quickly. You have 2 options when cooking squid – fast on high heat or slow on low heat, anything in between that and you are eating hard, chewy bits that make you think of erasers. Growing up, whenever we had squid, as is the wont in Guyana about many things, it was always curried. It was never a quick bunjal (dry curry) though, rather it was a slow-cooked curry yielding tender rings with a thick sauce ladled over hot white rice. So very good! These days when I cook squid it is mostly fried. On occasion, I will stuff squid and cook it slowly in the oven. My favourite way to have it though is fried.