Here’s a tasty room-temperature salad for lunch on a sunny fall day. You can roast the whole squid on a sheet pan in a hot oven, on the stovetop in a cast-iron pan or on a grill over coals. They cook quickly, and are done as soon as the tubes puff up and the tentacles are firm, which takes mere minutes. If you want them browned, leave them longer on the heat source, but they taste perfectly good if cooked pale.
Ingredients
For the salsa:
- ¾ pound tomatillos, husks removed, halved or quartered (about 3 cups)
- 1 jalapeño, halved lengthwise, then cut in large chunks
- 2 cups roughly chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, packed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
For the squid:
- 1 ½ pounds very small boiling potatoes
- Salt and pepper
- 4 large poblano chiles
- 2 pounds cleaned small squid
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as necessary
- 3 medium avocados, cut into thick slices or chunks
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ pound cherry tomatoes, halved
- Cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)
- Thinly sliced jalapeño, for garnish (optional)
- Lime wedges, for serving
- Warm corn tortillas, for serving (optional)
- Nutritional Information
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
501 calories; 24 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 29 grams protein; 352 milligrams cholesterol; 1252 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is DiningAndCooking.com’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.Powered by DiningAndCooking.com
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Preparation
- Make the salsa: Put the tomatillos, jalapeño, cilantro, salt and lime juice in a food processor or blender. Pulse until all components come together to make a rough purée. Transfer salsa to a serving dish.
- Wash potatoes, put in a small pot, cover with 1 inch of water, add a teaspoon of salt and cook at a brisk simmer, covered, over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes. When done, drain and set aside until cool enough to handle, then cut in half with a small sharp knife (leave skins on).
- Meanwhile, roast the poblanos: Place whole chiles directly on flames of a full-blast stovetop burner, turning with tongs frequently until blackened and blistered all over. Alternatively, blacken chiles on a sheet pan as close to broiler as possible or on a grill over coals. Set aside to cool on a plate (do not wrap in plastic film — you want the chile flesh to stay firm).
- To clean poblanos, wipe off their charred skin with paper towels or the back of a knife. Do not rinse; a few bits of char is O.K. Cut chiles lengthwise in half and scrape out seed and veins with knife. Cut chiles lengthwise into 3/8-inch-wide strips and set aside.
- Heat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse squid and drain well. Pat dry on layers of paper towel or cloth kitchen towel. Transfer squid bodies to a sheet pan in one layer. Arrange tentacles on a smaller baking sheet. Season bodies generously on both sides with salt and pepper, and season tentacles. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil evenly over squid bodies and 1 tablespoon olive oil over tentacles. Place baking sheets in oven and roast until bodies have puffed and tentacles have firmed, about 6 to 8 minutes. (Alternatively, cook squid in batches in a cast-iron pan over high heat or on a grill over coals.)
- To assemble the room-temperature salad, arrange potatoes on a large platter. Distribute the squid over potatoes, then scatter poblano strips, avocado, sliced onion and cherry tomatoes over squid. Sprinkle lightly with salt and drizzle with a little more olive oil, if desired. Add cilantro sprigs and jalapeño slices, if using, and garnish with lime wedges. Serve the salsa at the table, to be spooned over each serving, and warm tortillas, if desired.
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