6 Quick and Authentic Ways to Make Steamed Squid Dipping Sauce

Steamed squid has a natural sweetness, with tender and fragrant meat, so just the right dipping sauce makes the dish even more appealing. Depending on your taste, you can choose traditional sweet and sour ginger fish sauce, salt, pepper and lime, green bird’s eye chili, or pungent sauces like mustard or wasabi.

If you are looking for how to make a dipping sauce for steamed squid that is both delicious and easy to prepare, refer immediately to 6 recipes with familiar ingredients, quick mixing methods, and easy-to-apply ratios at home shared by Ola Squid below.

6 foolproof dipping sauce recipes for steamed squid

Each type of dipping sauce brings its own unique flavor, suitable for different preferences and ways of enjoying squid. Before preparing the dipping sauce for steamed squid, you should prepare fresh ingredients, especially limes, ginger, chilies, and herbs so that the dipping sauce has a distinct flavor without being harsh.

Traditional sweet and sour ginger fish sauce

Ginger fish sauce is a familiar choice when eating steamed or boiled dishes. The rich, bold saltiness of fish sauce combined with spicy and fragrant ginger, sour lime, and a touch of sweetness helps balance the natural sweetness of the squid.

Prepared ingredients

• Quality fish sauce: 3 tablespoons
• Ginger: 1 small knob
• Garlic: 2 cloves
• Chili: 2 fruits
• Sugar: 1 tablespoon
• Lime: ½ fruit
• Filtered water: 1 tablespoon.

Steps to make

• Step 1: Wash the ginger, garlic, and chilies. Peel the ginger and slice it thinly or mince it finely; mince the garlic and chilies as well.

• Step 2: Put the fish sauce, sugar, filtered water, and lime juice into a bowl, stirring well until the sugar dissolves completely.

• Step 3: Add the minced ginger, garlic, and chilies to the fish sauce mixture, stirring gently so the ingredients blend together.

• Step 4: Taste and adjust to your preference, you can add more fish sauce or sugar as you like.

Ginger fish sauce has a bold, spicy, fragrant, and harmoniously sweet and sour taste, perfectly matching Vietnamese family meals. If you prefer a more prominent ginger flavor, you can increase the amount of ginger, but avoid adding too much to prevent overpowering the sweetness of the squid.

Green bird’s eye chili dipping sauce

If you like a dipping sauce with a fresh spicy kick, sour-creamy richness, and an eye-catching green color, green bird’s eye chili sauce is a worthy choice. This recipe combines the distinctive spiciness of bird’s eye chilies with condensed milk and lime, creating a lightly viscous, fragrant, and easy-to-eat dipping sauce.

Prepared ingredients

• Green bird’s eye chilies: 10 – 15 fruits (depending on desired spicy level)
• Garlic: 3 cloves
• Lime leaves: 1 – 2 leaves
• Sugar: 2 teaspoons
• Salt: 1 teaspoon
• Lime juice: 2 tablespoons
• Condensed milk: 3 tablespoons

Quick 3-step mixing method

• Step 1: Wash the green bird’s eye chilies, garlic, and lime leaves. Cut the lime leaves into small pieces for easier blending.

• Step 2: Put the green bird’s eye chilies, garlic, lime leaves, salt, and sugar into a mortar or blender. Blend the mixture until smooth. Add the lime juice and condensed milk to the blended mixture. Blend for another 10–15 seconds until the ingredients are well combined.

• Step 3: Taste the dipping sauce and adjust the sour, sweet, and salty levels according to your taste.

The finished product has a pleasing green color, characteristic sour and spicy taste, interspersed with a creamy sweetness from condensed milk. This is a delicious steamed squid dipping sauce style suitable for those who love a distinct spicy kick and want a change from traditional fish sauce.

Simple salt, pepper and lime dipping sauce

Salt, pepper and lime is one of the simple ways how to make a dipping sauce for steamed squid. Without needing many ingredients, you still get a flavorful bowl of dipping sauce featuring the saltiness of salt, the spicy fragrance of pepper, and the tangy sourness of lime.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1-2 chilies
• 1 tablespoon lime juice.

Steps to make salt, pepper and lime dipping sauce for steamed squid

• Step 1 – Prep and roast peppercorns: Wash the black peppercorns, let them drain, then put them in a pan and roast over medium heat until the peppercorns swell up, shine, and make a “crackling” sound. Let them cool down a bit.

• Step 2 – Grind pepper and MSG: Put MSG into a mortar and grind it finely if using coarse grains, then add the roasted pepper and grind until smooth.

• Step 3 – Roast coarse salt and fine salt: Roast coarse salt over medium heat, stirring and crushing it lightly so the salt breaks down into smaller pieces. When the salt is dry, add the dried fine salt, mix well, and roast for another 3–5 minutes.

• Step 4 – Add lime leaves and pepper: When the salt is completely dry, add the finely chopped lime leaves and stir until dry and fragrant. Continue adding the ground pepper, roast for about 1–2 minutes, then turn off the heat, avoiding roasting for too long which would burn the pepper.

• Step 5 – Mix in MSG: Pour the salt mixture onto a tray and let it cool completely to prevent it from liquefying. When the salt has cooled completely, add the finely ground MSG and mix well.

• Step 6 – Completion: The mixed salt, pepper and lime has the aroma of pepper and lime leaves, with a rich, bold saltiness. When used for dipping steamed squid, you can squeeze in more lime juice and add a few chili slices depending on your taste.

Yellow mustard dipping sauce

Yellow mustard brings a characteristic pungent heat, making the steamed squid dish richer and more stimulating to the taste buds. This recipe is suitable for those who like a dipping sauce with a creamy consistency and mild to moderate spiciness.

Prepared ingredients

• Yellow mustard: 1 teaspoon
• Chicken egg yolk: 1 yolk
• Sugar: 3 teaspoons
• Salt: 1 teaspoon
• Calamansi: 6 fruits.

How to make yellow mustard steamed squid dipping sauce

• Step 1: Separate the egg yolk into a bowl, beat well until lightly fluffy and viscous. Add sugar, salt, and yellow mustard, then stir well.

• Step 2: Place the bowl of mixture into a double boiler, stirring while steaming until the sugar dissolves completely. Do not cover with a lid to avoid cooking the eggs.

• Step 3: Take the mixture out, add calamansi juice and stir well to complete the dipping sauce.

Small tip: When the sauce starts to get hot, slowly add the cornstarch water portion and stir continuously. You can double-boil or water-bath over moderate temperature so the mixture heats evenly and maintains its viscosity.

Japanese-style wasabi dipping sauce

Wasabi has a distinctive pungent heat that quickly melts in the mouth, creating an exciting sensation when eaten with seafood. If you want to try an unusual style of dipping sauce for steamed squid, you can mix wasabi with soy sauce and a little lime.

Prepared ingredients

• Soy sauce: 3 – 4 tablespoons
• Wasabi: ½ teaspoon
• Chili: 1 fruit
• Sugar: 1 teaspoon.

Simple mixing method

• Step 1: Wash the chili, slice it thinly or julienne it as you like.

• Step 2: Put the soy sauce and sugar into a bowl, stir until the sugar dissolves completely. Add wasabi to the center of the bowl, then use chopsticks to beat gently so the wasabi blends with the soy sauce.

• Step 3: Taste again, you can add more sugar or filtered water to adjust the sweetness and saltiness to your taste.

Sweet basil and culantro dipping sauce

If you like a dipping sauce with plenty of herbs, the aroma of sweet basil and culantro will make the steamed squid more fragrant without needing too many spicy spices. This recipe also has an eye-catching natural green color.

Prepared ingredients

• Sweet basil leaves: 10 leaves
• Coriander roots: 3 – 4 roots
• Fish sauce: 3 tablespoons
• Sugar: 1 teaspoon
• Lime juice: 1 tablespoon
• Fresh chili: 1-2 fruits (depending on taste)
• Garlic: 1 clove
• Pepper: 1/4 teaspoon
• Filtered water: 1 – 2 tablespoons (depending on watery or thick preference).

How to mix sweet basil and culantro steamed squid dipping sauce

• Step 1: Wash the sweet basil leaves and coriander roots, let them drain; peel the garlic, wash the chili and remove seeds if you want to reduce the spiciness.

• Step 2: Put the sweet basil, coriander roots, garlic, and chili into a blender, blend until the mixture is small and smooth.

• Step 3: Mix the fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, and filtered water in a bowl, stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the blended sweet basil and coriander root mixture and stir well.

• Step 4: Add pepper, taste and adjust to your liking; you can adjust the amount of chili or filtered water depending on your taste.

The dipping sauce has a moderate saltiness, tangy sourness, mild spiciness, along with the characteristic aroma of sweet basil and culantro. Sweet basil and culantro dipping sauce is a suitable choice if you want to know what to dip steamed squid in deliciously without using overly greasy or too spicy sauces.

See more:

• 5 super easy ways to steam squid while retaining its natural sweetness
• How long to boil squid for it to be crunchy and plump?

Frequently asked questions about steamed squid dipping sauce

Can steamed squid be dipped in regular fish sauce?

Yes. Steamed squid can be dipped in regular fish sauce, especially ginger fish sauce, sweet and sour fish sauce, or chili fish sauce. The rich, bold saltiness of fish sauce helps highlight the natural sweetness of the squid.

If the steamed squid has been pre-seasoned, you should make the dipping sauce lighter so the overall dish is not too salty. Conversely, with unmarinated steamed squid, a more flavorful dipping sauce will help complete the dish.

Which dipping sauce is suitable for large parties?

If serving a large party, sweet and sour ginger fish sauce and salt, pepper and lime are two easy-to-eat choices that suit many tastes. These dipping sauces also have simple ingredients and are easy to mix in large quantities.

You can prepare an extra bowl of green bird’s eye chili or wasabi separately for those who like spicy food. You shouldn’t prepare only one type of dipping sauce if guests have different tastes.

How long can steamed squid dipping sauce be stored?

Homemade dipping sauce should be used within the day to keep its fresh flavor, especially with formulas containing lime, herbs, garlic, or fresh chili. If storage is needed, put the dipping sauce in a clean box or jar, cover tightly and place in the refrigerator compartment.

Depending on the ingredients, the dipping sauce maintains good quality for about 1-2 days. Before reusing, you need to check the smell, color, and condition of the dipping sauce.

With the 6 ways to make steamed squid dipping sauce above, you can easily change the flavor of the dish from traditional boldness, sweet and sour to Japanese pungent heat. If you like familiar tastes, ginger fish sauce or salt, pepper and lime are easy-to-eat choices; while green bird’s eye chili, mustard, and wasabi are suitable when you want the squid dish to have a more novel flavor.

Ola Squid currently specializes in providing dried squid products, so if you love seafood flavors and want to explore more ways to enjoy squid, you can refer to the dried squid products at Ola Squid. The dipping sauces in the article can also be modified to use with grilled dried squid or other squid dishes, making meals more diverse.