Seafood Recipes

Braised squid with fennel & tomatoes

Impress your nearest and dearest with this deliciously decadent braised squid with fennel and tomato. It's served with rice and a fabulous squid ink mayo

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• pinch of fennel seeds
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 small fennel bulb, finely chopped
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped preserved lemon (flesh scooped out)
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 600g tomatoes, chopped
• 2 large squid, cleaned and cut into rings
• 200ml white wine
• 400ml fish or chicken stock
• small bunch parsley, leaves finely chopped
• small bunch dill, leaves finely chopped, plus a few fronds to serve
• black or white rice, to serve

For the squid ink mayo

• 2 egg yolks
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 1 sachet of squid ink (available from souschef.co.uk)
• 150ml sunflower oil

 

Directions

 

• STEP 1

  Heat the olive oil in a flameproof casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Cook the fennel seeds, onion, fennel, chilli and preserved lemon with a pinch of salt for 5 mins until softened and fragrant, then add the garlic and cook for 1 min more.

• STEP 2

  Add the chopped tomatoes and cook down for a few mins, then turn down the heat and add the squid. Cook gently for 3 mins, then add the wine and reduce by half. Add the stock and herbs, bring to a simmer, cover loosely with baking parchment and cook for 1½ hrs, until the squid is tender and meaty.

• STEP 3

  To make the mayo, whisk the yolks, garlic, lemon juice and a pinch of salt until combined, then add the squid ink and whisk again. Slowly whisk in the oil until you have a thick, silky mayo. Serve the squid with rice and a spoon of mayo, with fronds of dill scattered over. Keep leftover mayo in the fridge (to use within one day).