Spicy Szechuan-Style Spicy Cuttlefish Stir-Fry Recipe

Squid stir-fried with satay sauce is a rich, flavorful dish that’s perfect for family gatherings. The combination of the naturally sweet taste of fresh squid with the tingling spice and fragrant aroma of satay sauce creates an irresistible culinary experience. To prepare squid stir-fried with satay sauce in the authentic style you’d find at a restaurant, without worrying about the squid turning tough or releasing too much water, join Ola Squid in exploring the crispy and delicious way to make squid stir-fried with satay sauce right below.

How to choose fresh squid for the satay stir-fry dish

The quality of ingredients determines up to 80% of a dish’s success. Choosing squid that meets the standard will help the stir-fried dish retain its natural sweetness and characteristic crunchiness.

• Choosing fresh squid: Observe squid with a pearly, translucent white color, a firm body, thick flesh that tightens when pressed. The tentacles should be firmly attached to the body, with the head and tentacles intact and not loose.
• Avoiding low-quality squid: Absolutely do not choose squid with a mushy, dull, dark body or one that has turned greenish or grayish-pale. Squid with a strange foul smell, a chemical cleaning-agent odor, or a head that has already detached from the body is a sign the squid has been sitting for too long.
• The most suitable type of squid: You should choose leaf squid because its flesh is thick and crunchy, able to withstand high heat when stir-fried without breaking apart or shrinking too much. Tube squid is also a good choice if you prefer a milder, sweeter taste.

Ingredients to prepare

Preparing all the ingredients in full helps the cooking process go quickly and preserves the full fresh flavor of the seafood. Below is the ingredient table for a serving size of 3 – 4 people, with a preparation time of around 25 – 30 minutes.

Steps to make squid stir-fried with satay sauce

To get a fragrant, eye-catching plate of stir-fried squid, you can follow the steps for the delicious satay squid recipe that Ola Squid has compiled below:

• Step 1: Prepping the squid: Wash the squid thoroughly with diluted salt water and a bit of white wine to remove the fishy smell. Score the squid’s body diagonally so it looks appealing when stir-fried and absorbs the seasoning better, then cut it into bite-sized pieces.

• Step 2: Blanch briefly and soak in ice water: Bring a pot of water to a gentle simmer, add the squid, and blanch quickly for about 20 – 30 seconds before removing it right away. Drop the squid into a bowl of ice-cold water and soak for about 5 minutes to keep it crunchy, then drain.

• Step 3: Marinating: Marinate the squid by mixing it evenly with 1 tablespoon of satay sauce, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce, and half of the minced garlic, shallot, and lemongrass.

• Step 4: Stir-frying: Set a pan on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, and sauté the remaining minced garlic, shallot, and lemongrass until fragrant. Next, add the onion and pineapple and stir quickly over high heat for about 1 minute. Finally, pour in the marinated squid and stir constantly for 2 – 3 minutes over very high heat until the squid is just cooked through and well seasoned, then turn off the heat.

• Step 5: Plating: Scoop the stir-fried squid onto a plate, sprinkle with a bit of ground pepper, and garnish with a few sprigs of rice paddy herb or coriander before enjoying it while still hot.

See more similar delicious dishes:

• How to stir-fry squid so it’s delicious and crunchy, without releasing water, chef-standard
• What goes well stir-fried with squid? Suggested squid stir-fry dishes for family meals

Tips for crunchy, delicious squid without a fishy smell or toughness

Many people run into the situation where squid turns dry and tough or releases too much water, causing it to lose its rich flavor. A few secrets from professional chefs will help you resolve this issue completely:

• Stir-fry on high heat, quickly: Always maintain the highest heat level throughout the stir-frying process. High heat helps lock in the moisture inside the squid, keeping the outer surface firm while the inside stays soft and sweet.
• Don’t stir-fry for too long: Squid cooks very quickly. Cooking it longer than necessary will cause the protein structure in the squid to denature, resulting in a rubbery, tough texture.
• Take advantage of thermal shock:After blanching the squid briefly, soak it in ice water for crunchiness. Suddenly lowering the temperature causes the squid’s muscle fibers to contract quickly, creating a perfectly crunchy texture.
• Control the marinating time:Don’t marinate the squid for too long before stir-frying, or it will release a lot of water. You should only marinate the squid about 5 – 10 minutes before putting it in the pan, so the seasoning has time to lightly coat the surface without drawing water out from inside the flesh.

Variations on squid stir-fried with satay sauce

If you want to make your family meal more varied, you can try the following variations of squid stir-fried with satay sauce:

• Sizzling squid with satay sauce: The squid is cooked on a piping-hot cast-iron pan or stainless-steel plate together with butter, satay sauce, and various vegetables. When brought to the table, the pan of squid still sizzles cheerfully, keeping its full heat while the fragrant aroma of butter blends with the intense spicy flavor.

• Squid stir-fried with satay sauce and cauliflower: A harmonious combination of seafood and green vegetables. Broccoli and cauliflower, naturally crunchy and sweet, stir-fried together with satay squid not only adds eye-catching color to the plate but also provides extra fiber, balancing out the spicy heat of the satay sauce.

See also: How to make grilled squid with satay sauce, fragrant and authentically spicy

Squid stir-fried with satay sauce is the perfect combination of the intense spicy flavor of satay sauce and the naturally crunchy, sweet taste of fresh squid, creating a rich, irresistible flavor. Hopefully this article will help you succeed in making this dish, and don’t forget to visit olasquid.com/en to discover more interesting information waiting for you to explore!