Salt and pepper squid

Tam West

This dish was inspired by Warren's recent trip to the Wairarapa. To read about his foodie journey through the region, click here. Use calamari tubes scored and cut into strips, or cleaned baby octopus, or both. To learn how to prepare the fresh squid, watch this video.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp	Black peppercorns
1 tsp	Szechuan peppercorn
1 tsp	Rock salt
⅓ cup	Potato starch, or use cornflour
¼ cup	Self raising flour
2	Eggs, whisked together for egg wash
3	Squid tubes, scored and cut into strips (Main)
1 bottle	Vegetable oil, for deep frying
1	Lemon, cut into wedges for serving

Directions

1. In a dry frying pan, heat peppercorns and rock salt until fragrant. Cool and grind to a fine powder. Mix together with potato starch and self-raising flour.
2. Dip squid into egg wash, coat in the seasoned flour mix, then deep fry in hot cooking oil until golden and crunchy. Drain and serve with lemon wedges.

More of Warren's Wairarapa-inspired dishes

• Olive oil citrus cake
• Individual beef wellingtons
• Wintry bourbon buck