Last Updated on March 13, 2021 by Simon Fan
Squid is featured frequently in regional cooking in China, especially in the eastern and southern parts of the country.
A quick stir-frying or blanching is all you need to cook the squid without turning it rubbery. You can flavor the dish simply with scallions and ginger to highlight the mild and sweet taste of the squid, or use more robust seasonings such as fermented black beans (douchi 豆豉), shacha sauce (沙茶酱), three-cup mixture (三杯, referring to one cup each of rice wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil), or chopped chilies (剁椒) for additional flavor boosts.
Oftentimes, criss-cross incisions are made into the flesh of the squid before it’s cut into strips, which will curl up like flowers once cooked. Such delicate cutting not only makes the dish look pretty but also allows the squid to cook quickly and the sauce to penetrate. The texture of the squid becomes more interesting too.
This delightful salad is a tweak on stir-fried squid with celery, a popular dish both at restaurants and at home. Instead of stir-frying the squid with the celery, I blanch the squid briefly, before tossing it with raw celery. The squid is cut differently from the usual criss-cross pattern, with equally intriguing results—it’s scored with parallel incisions and then cut into comb-like pieces, which turn into a wheel shape once cooked.
Squid and celery salad
Serves 2
Ingredients
8 oz (200 g) tender celery stalked with leaves
8 oz (230 g) cleaned squid without tentacles
½ teaspoon salt
Dressing
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
⅛ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon Zhenjiang (ask Chinkiang) vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon chili oil (optional)
Directions
- Separate the leaves from the celery stalks. Cut the stalks diagonally into ⅛-inch-thick (3 mm) slices. Place the celery slices and leaves in a bowl of cold water to keep them crisp.
- Cut each squid cube open lengthwise and lay it flat on the cutting board, with the inner side facing up. Make slits lengthwise, about ⅙ inch (4 mm) apart, halfway into the flesh. Then cut, along the same direction of the slits, into about 2-inch-wide (5 cm) strips. Cut each strip crosswise (perpendicular to the slits) into ¼-inch-thick (6 mm) slices. Each slice resembles a little comb and will curl up into a wheel shape when cooked.
- Working in two batches, blanch the squid slices in boiling water until just cooked through, about 30 seconds, then immediately transfer them to a colander and rinse under cold water to cool. Drain well, and blot dry with paper towels. In a large bowl, toss the squid with the salt.
- In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the dressing. Drain the celery well, and blot dry with paper towels. Add the celery to the bowl with the squid, pour in the dressing, and toss until well combined. Transfer them to a serving plate, and drizzle with the chili oil.
