Name: Warm calamari, mint and chilli salad
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 kg cleaned calamari; 3 tsp peanut oil; 2 cups each mint and coriander (loosely packed); 1 Lebanese cucumber, halved, seeds removed, thinly sliced; 2 long green chillies, seeds removed, cut into julienne; 2 red shallots, thinly sliced; Chilli dressing; 1 small garlic clove, coarsely chopped; 1 small green chilli, coarsely chopped; 2 tbsp lime juice, or to taste; 2 tsp palm sugar, or to taste; 1 tbsp fish sauce, or to taste

Warm calamari, mint and chilli salad

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for warm calamari, mint and chilli salad.

Serves 4

Prep

30M

Cook

10M

Total

40M

The key to this dish is to use really fresh calamari – you could also use prawns, scallops or shellfish. If you want to make it more substantial, serve it with some steamed or sticky rice.

Ingredients

1 kg cleaned calamari

3 tsp peanut oil

2 cups each mint and coriander (loosely packed)

1 Lebanese cucumber, halved, seeds removed, thinly sliced

2 long green chillies, seeds removed, cut into julienne

2 red shallots, thinly sliced

Chilli dressing

1 small garlic clove, coarsely chopped

1 small green chilli, coarsely chopped

2 tbsp lime juice, or to taste

2 tsp palm sugar, or to taste

1 tbsp fish sauce, or to taste

Method

Main

1.Open out calamari, then cut into 4cm pieces and score flesh on inside in a crosshatch pattern. Pat dry with absorbent paper and refrigerate until required.

2.For chilli dressing, pound garlic in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt, add chilli and pound to a coarse paste. Add lime juice and palm sugar, stir to dissolve sugar, then add fish sauce, adjusting flavour to taste with extra lime juice, fish sauce or palm sugar.

3.Heat half the peanut oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Season calamari to taste and cook half, scored-side down, until just golden (2-3 minutes), turn and cook until curled (30 seconds), transfer to a bowl, then repeat with remaining oil and calamari. Add remaining ingredients and chilli dressing, toss lightly to combine, serve warm.