Stuffed squid in black ink sauce
I had fun in the kitchen today – I dismembered a squid. I pulled out its cartilage, carefully removed and set aside the sac of ink from its guts, decapitated it and chopped its tentacles into tiny little pieces. Then I cooked it.
It’s not that I hadn’t done it before but it was so long ago that I was worried I could have forgotten how to do it. But it was like riding a bicycle. I can still do it with my eyes closed!
Usually, I would cook the squid with its head (eyes removed) and guts. But for the sake of the uninitiated boyfriend, I discarded them.
I cooked the finely chopped tentacles with finely chopped potatoes, onions and garlic with a tablespoon of coconut oil. Once it was cooled, I stuffed the squid with it and used skewers to prevent the stuffing from coming out.
I fried the stuffed squid in coconut oil for 15-20 minutes then set it aside while I prepared the black ink sauce. In the same pan, I sautéed chopped garlic, onion and tomatoes. I added the sac of ink and a cup of 7-UP and let the sauce simmer until it thickened.
I then added the stuffed squid and let it simmer in the sauce for another 5 minutes. Served with steamed rice.
I used fish sauce for seasoning, by the way. The 7-UP is my father’s secret weapon in the kitchen. He is a good cook, too!
The kitchen is my playground. 
March 22nd, 2014 at 10:42 PM
7-UP. Magic!
March 24th, 2014 at 1:04 AM
I’m jealous! I’ve never worked with squid! Your recipe is beautiful!
April 12th, 2014 at 8:03 PM
I’m surprised someone like you has never worked with squid in the kitchen. Why so? You don’t like squid? Crispy calamari is my all-time favorite dish.
April 13th, 2014 at 2:14 AM
I adore squid. It’s just for most of my adult life I’ve lived very far from any ocean, and can’t get fresh seafood. I grew up with it, having always lived on the west and east coasts of the US, just not for a long time. Any seafood I could get is inferior in quality. Sadly.