Chef's Recipes

Barbecued squid with romesco sauce

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for barbecued squid with romesco sauce by Pete Evans.

By Pete Evans
  • 30 mins preparation
  • 45 mins cooking plus steaming
  • Serves 6
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Barbecued squid with romesco sauce

Ingredients

  • 250 gm cherry truss tomatoes
  • 1¼ tbsp coconut oil
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 750 gm (about 12) baby squid tubes, cleaned, scored and cut into 3cm x 5cm pieces
  • 3 smoked chorizo sausages (300gm), thinly sliced diagonally
  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced
  • Salad of shaved fennel, baby rocket, flat-leaf parsley and Ligurian olives with a red wine vinaigrette to serve
Romesco sauce
  • 1 red capsicum, quartered
  • 1 vine-ripened tomato, quartered
  • 1 long red chilli, seeds discarded, coarsely chopped
  • 2 tsp coconut oil, melted
  • ½ tsp sweet paprika
  • 15 gm (about 12) each roasted hazelnuts and roasted almonds
  • 2 small garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Main
  • 1
    For romesco, preheat the oven to 200C. Drizzle capsicum with 1 tsp coconut oil and roast, turning occasionally, until skin blisters (25-30 minutes). Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 5 minutes. Toss tomato, chilli, remaining coconut oil and paprika in a bowl and season. Heat a frying pan over high heat, add tomato mixture and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender (2-3 minutes). Peel tomato and coarsely chop. Process nuts in a blender until finely ground. Peel capsicum and chop, then add to blender with tomato, chilli, garlic and vinegar. Blend until smooth then, with the motor running, add olive oil in a thin steady stream. Season to taste and refrigerate.
  • 2
    Reduce oven to 180C. Soak 12 bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes. Cut cherry tomatoes into 6 portions with scissors, leaving truss intact. Drizzle with 1 tsp coconut oil. Season with smoked paprika, salt and pepper and roast until tomatoes soften slightly (8-12 minutes).
  • 3
    Meanwhile, place a slice of chorizo inside each piece of squid and thread onto skewers. Drizzle with remaining coconut oil and season well.
  • 4
    Char-grill skewers and lemon in batches until squid is cooked and lemon is caramelised (1-1½ minutes each side).
  • 5
    To serve, spoon romesco onto each plate, top with lemon and skewers and serve salad to the side.