Ingredients
- 600g whole frozen squid
- 11/2tsp ras el hanout, plus extra for sprinkling
- 11⁄2tsp sea salt crystals
- 55g ‘00’ flour
- 55g cornflour
- 500ml sunflower oil, for deep-frying
For the aioli
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 preserved lemon, flesh removed and skin finely chopped
- 6tbsp good-quality mayonnaise
To serve
- 4 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 2-3 long red chillies, sliced into thin rings
- few tbsp Korean seasoned seaweed sprinkles, to serve
Instructions
- Cut the prepared squid tubes into 1cm rings. Leave the tentacles whole if small, otherwise cut in half. Roughly dry with kitchen paper and spread out on a baking tray. Grind the ras el hanout with the sea salt crystals ensuring that any rose within the mix is crushed well, and rub all but 1⁄2tsp of the mix onto the squid. Combine the flour and cornflour, then sift onto a separate baking tray. To make the aïoli, mix the garlic and preserved lemon skin into the mayonnaise and spoon into small bowls.
- Sprinkle a thin line of the ras el hanout mixture over the top. Pour the sunflower oil into a wok or deep-sided pan and heat until it reaches 160C or until a cube of bread turns golden in a few seconds. Add the spring onions and cook for a few minutes, taking care they don’t brown too much, then use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper. Repeat with the chillies.
- Increase the heat of the oil to 180C. Taking a batch of squid at a time, toss in the flour mixture to coat evenly, shaking off any excess flour. Fry for 3-4 minutes until golden and crispy, then use a slotted spoon to transfer to a clean baking tray lined with kitchen paper.
- Pile onto a platter while still hot, sprinkle with a little extra ras el hanout and scatter over the spring onion, chilli and Korean seaweed flakes. Serve with the aïoli on the side.