Growing up in the Midwest and southern England, my exposure to seafood was greatly limited. Besides fish and chips in England, my exposure to seafood came in the form of frozen, breaded fish sticks that were made from god knows what. And for this reason, I grew up being very skeptical toward seafood. Can you blame me when most of my experience of fish came out of a cardboard box?? And before you start ringing my neck!!! I do not categorize authentic fish and chips and crap! Buuuttt, deep fried fish does not really reveal the diversity of seafood options out there! I’ll leave it at that!
When I was nineteen, I packed up and moved to NYC, but it was over ten years more before I started my journey into the diversity of seafood. It started with a simple tilapia dish a friend made me with a mango salsa. I loved it! I mean, if you’ve never really explored fish, tilapia is a great place to start! Very mild in flavor… so mild in flavor that I’m no longer a huge fan of it except for a few dishes here and there!
When I met my now husband, my exploration into seafood heightened quickly. He grew up on the east coast, yet even for him, and really for New Jersey, most seafood is still deep fried… and when I say most, I mean almost everything! And not in the yummy way that fish and chips is made. He spent time in the navy exploring Asian cultures and that helped diversify his palate quite a bit. But still, it was rather our mutual desire to explore further and further that have led to our level of seafood love now.
A big impact on us was the time my husband was in Maryland building a power plant. Monday through Friday, he was down in Maryland, driving home each weekend… tiresome, to say the least. But, it afforded me the opportunity to get away from home occasionally and spend the weekend down there exploring Annapolis and Alexandria (NOT Maryland! I know!). There were two restaurants in particular that absolutely changed the way I viewed seafood… and this was already after I had started eating pretty much most types of fish and shellfish (minus shrimp ☹️… gives me migraines).
O’Leary’s in Annapolis and Hank’s Oyster Bar in Alexandria introduced the beauty of cooking seafood, not in deep-fried oil, but in a way that accentuated the beauty and flavor of the seafood at hand. O’Leary’s had the best soft shell crab I have ever had. Hank’s was the second time I ever had octopus and it was definitely one of my favorite octopus dishes! One I hope to recreate here shortly.
Now, Maryland/Virginia are not the only areas that have expanded my love of seafood. Maine, Vietnam, Ireland are some of the other places that have served amazing seafood dishes that just continued to expand my love of just how diverse seafood dishes can be made and served!
So, from a person who never ate seafood to a person who started with tilapia, I now eat just about any and all seafood. And, I have my favorites. Fish, my favorites would probably be catfish, sea bass, mahi mahi, and, of course, tuna (not the canned shit!). But beyond fish, I love soft shell crab, scallops, mussels, octopus, and squid. Mussels and squid are awesome because they are flavorful and affordable!
I often turn to squid for quick, affordable, and delicious seafood recipes. As is typical in New Jersey, most people only think of squid as calamari… the deep fried appetizer. But I have discovered so many delicious ways to make squid, and Asian dishes often, but not always, are my go to flavors when I make squid.
This squid stir fry is such a simple yet flavorful dish, that it is a staple for our seafood Saturdays. I’ve said this before, but I’ll probably repeat it anytime I post a squid recipe… cooking squid is super easy, but the trick is to either cook it hot and fast or low and slow. When my son and I went to Asia a couple of years ago, we finished out trip on an island off of Thailand. They would grill up squid at night and it was so disgusting because it was rubber.
Hot and fast means less than 2 minutes…. easy to screw up, right? So, I always opt for the low and slow, and that generally means cooking the squid on a low flame for anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes. Easy peasy. And you will be able to tell when they’re done… the difference between rubber and tender.
This dish is the perfect level of spiciness. Feel free to add in additional seafood… clams or mussels, a piece of cod, whatever else you might be feeling! Or keep it simple with just the squid and enjoy the savory sweet and spicy sauce! I served this over white rice, but it would be just as delicious over stir fry noodles!
Enjoy!
Damned Delicious Spicy Squid Stir-fry
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Seafood, Asian
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
Stir-fry
1½ lbs squid tubes, sliced into about ¼” pieces
3 bell peppers, sliced
½ red onion, chopped
½ can bean sprouts, if desired
1 TB olive oil
1 TB sesame oil
Sauce
1 jalapeño, deseeded if desired
6 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger, skin removed
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup clam juice
3 TBs brown sugar
1 TB rice wine
1 TB rice vinegar
½ TB sambal oelek
½ TB gochujang
½ TB sriracha
2 TBs cornstarch
Instructions
In a small food processor, process the jalapeno, garlic, and ginger until finely minced. Add to a medium bowl and whisk together with the soy sauce, clam juice, brown sugar, rice wine, rice vinegar, sambal oelek, gochujang, sriracha, and cornstarch.
Heat a large saucepan over wok over medium heat. Drizzle in the olive oil and sesame oil. When hot, carefully swirl to coat the pan. Add in the peppers and onions. Fry for 8 minutes, stirring often, until just starting to soften. Add the squid and bean sprouts and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring often, until the squid is tender.
Serve immediately over rice. Enjoy!
Keywords: Squid, squid stir-fry, Asian squid, Asian squid stir-fry, spicy squid, spicy squid stir-fry, spicy Asian squid stir-fry, spicy Asian squid
