Lightly-fried Squid with Home-made Mayonnaise by Carina Contini 

Regardless of the health and safety breaches of my mother, I’ve always loved fried food. “Who doesn’t?” I hear you say. However, there are some things I’ll draw a line at. Battered Mars Bars and deep-fried pizza will never pass my lips. The person who invented either of these two culinary monsters should be dipped in batter, fried, wrapped in newspaper and binned – quickly.

That said, the demand for fried food is as strong as ever. It’s a Friday night staple for some and makes an appearance on even the most fashionable menus. Everything in moderation serves us all well, and a good fish supper is good for the soul, if not always for our waistlines.

Carina Contini is Owner of Contini George Street, Edinburgh; Cannonball Restaurant & Bar, Castlehill, Edinburgh; and The Scottish Cafe & Restaurant – located at the gardens entrance of the Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh.

For more information visit www.contini.com

Ingredients: 

For the lightly-fried squid:
200g cleaned squid, thinly sliced, washed and dried well
100g strong white flour
1tsp cayenne pepper
1tsp Maldon salt
300ml olive oil
Samphire to garnish

For the home-made mayonnaise ingredients:
2 organic free-range egg yolks from the fridge
3 tbsp lemon juice
1tsp Dijon or English mustard powder
¼ tsp fine salt
300 ml light olive oil or sunflower oil

Method:

For the lightly-fried squid:
1.    Choose a deep casserole pot to fry the squid. This helps holds the consistency of the oil if you don’t have an electric deep fat fryer.
2.    Heat the oil to 190°C, or until it is hot enough that if you add a piece of squid it will sizzle but not spit.
3.    Season flour in a bag with the salt and cayenne pepper. Dip the dried squid in the flour and shake off any excess. 
4.    Slowly add the squid to the oil and fry gently until golden. Remove and drain on kitchen towels.
5.    Enjoy garnished with samphire and some delicious home-made mayonnaise...

For the home-made mayonnaise:
1.    In a food processor or blender add egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard and salt.
2.    Set the machine to slow, and very slowly drizzle the oil in, a tiny amount at a time.
3.    When the mixture starts to thicken you can add a little more oil until the texture is like thick yogurt.
4.    Tip: If the mixture is too thick it can be thinned with fresh cream.

In association with Taste Communications, Scotland’s food and drink communications company www.tastecommunications.co.uk