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Jamie Oliver’s Grilled Squid Salad: Island salsa of capers, pistachios, chilli, mint and lemon

The magic in Jamie Oliver's squid salad, as seen on his Channel 4 series, Jamie Cooks Italy, is a flavour-packed salsa. Ready in just 30 minutes, this delicious seafood starter is a taste of the Italian seaside.

From the book

Jamie Oliver

Introduction

Inspired by the investment in flavour that Nonna Franchina made in stuffing her squid, I came up with this recipe, which uses the same principle but in reverse. We’re making a mind-blowing salsa to plunge the hot grilled squid straight into, creating a wonderful harmony between flavour and texture. The salsa is also great when used to dress grilled veg, lamb or other seafood, tossed with pasta or as a topping for crostini.

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Ingredients

2 tbsp baby capers in brine
2 lemons
extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1 fresh red chilli
4 anchovy fillets in oil
½ a bunch (15g) fresh mint
4 large squid, cleaned, gutted
500g large ripe tomatoes

Essential kit

You will need: a griddle pan or a barbecue.

Method

Soak the capers in a bowl of water. Squeeze all the lemon juice into a large shallow bowl and add 4 tablespoons of oil. Peel the garlic and finely chop with the chilli, anchovies, pistachios, drained capers and mint leaves. Scrape it all into the bowl and mix together well.

Reserving the tentacles, run a sharp knife down the length of each squid tube, cutting through one side only so you can open each one out like a book. Lightly score the inside of each tube in a criss-cross fashion at ½cm intervals. To cook the squid, follow Franchina’s guidance and get the tentacles on early, then add the tubes, from largest to smallest. In a screaming hot griddle pan or on a barbecue, cook each piece for about 1 minute per side – with no oil or seasoning – until lightly charred and starting to curl. Start with the cut side when you do the tubes, and keep the squid moving for even cooking. As each piece is done, use tongs to dunk it straight into the salsa, turning and coating it in all that flavour.

Slice the tomatoes and lay over a serving platter. Finely slice the squid tubes, pull the tentacles apart, then arrange on top of the tomatoes. Spoon over all the remaining salsa, and serve hot or at room temperature.

CALORIES 266kcal FAT 18.4g SAT FAT 2.8g  PROTEIN 19g CARBS 6.5g SUGAR 4.7g SALT  0. 9g FIBRE 1.8g

Jamie Cooks Italy by Jamie Oliver is published by Penguin Random House © Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited (2018 Jamie Cooks Italy), photography: David Loftus.

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From the book: Jamie Cooks Italy

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