black bean stir-fried squid ~ revisited

last week our recipe was shrimp stuffed squid. i love it, a great dish to serve for guests with great flavor, eye appeal and wow factor. the longer stewing in the tomato sauce results in a nice tender squid, but one of the great things about cooking squid is that most recipes are fast and easy.

artwork by mike monahan

the secret to making squid tender and not chewy is to cook it fast (2-4 min.) or slow (simmered or stewed in a sauce for 20-30 min.). deep-fried calamari is an easy favorite, or try a quickie stir-fry over pasta or with rice. we have a great recipe for squid with anchovies on our website along with a black bean stir-fry recipe. the black bean recipe has always been a hit, but as our pantry has expanded to include more southeast asian ingredients i’ve experimented with adding a few new touches that add a new dimension with a nice kick. black bean sauce is the base but adding thai sweet chili sauce, sriracha sauce and cilantro, this dish is less salty, spicier, and i think more interesting.

the squid bodies are opened up and scored to hold the tasty sauce. when stir-fried they curl up and make a gorgeous presentation that will really impress.

add blanched broccoli or bok choy at the end for a one-pot meal and serve with rice.

don’t forget to check out our popular squid t-shirt! artwork above.