“I’m not picky, mom,” my daughter said. “It’s just that most people don’t eat squid for dinner on a Wednesday.”
“But when they go to a restaurant, they might get calamari, right?”
“I guess…” she said.
“Well, calamari is squid. And it’s so easy to cook at home, so why don’t we?”
[eyeroll]
“Plus, just because your friends’ families don’t eat squid for a weeknight dinner doesn’t mean other families don’t,” I continued.
[more eyerolls]
The truth is, I don’t cook squid very often, even though I live not too far from the ocean
But when I was in Spain over the summer, we ate it almost every day, often grilled or cooked on a plancha and served with lemon and olive oil.
Here, I add it in to salad with some lightly crisp potatoes (which I also ate in Spain every day) along with a dressing made from Spanish sherry vinegar and smoked paprika.
Squid is also great for weeknight cooking because it cooks fast and it’s one of those types of seafood that doesn’t suffer from being frozen. In fact, it often benefits, because the freezing and thawing process breaks down its tough muscle fibers, making it more tender when you cook it.
When it comes to the sustainability of squid, advice is mixed. Some articles say it’s a climate change winner because it thrives in warmer waters while others say that squid populations suffer from over-fishing. (I imagine both are true…)
To source squid from sustainable sources, Seafood Choice by Monterey Bay Aquarium recommends looking for frozen squid certified by the Marine Stewardship Council. I’d also be inclined to buy it if I found it from a local fishmonger that sources from the Jersey Shore, not too far from where I live.
If that all sounds like too much to think about, you could absolutely make this salad with MSC-certified tinned seafood, whether sardines, mackerel, or mussels.
I know this recipe asks you to turn on the oven, and depending on where you are, it might be too hot for that. If that’s the case, bookmark this recipe for that first cool night when you could really use a taste of Spain.
P.S. Next week, I am going to share the last recipe for a little while. More on that soon. For now, please know that I have turned off paid subscriptions. This means if you were a paid subscriber (thank you so much!), your subscription will not renew unless I turn payments back on.
Smoky Squid-and-Potato Salad
The warm potatoes and squid will wilt the greens slightly, so this salad is best with greens that have a little bit of heft.
Time: 35 min
Serves 4
1 to 1 ¼ pounds baby potatoes (baby potatoes are often sold in 20-ounce bags so you can use those)
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ¼ pounds (20 ounces or two 10-ounce packages) cleaned small squid
2 teaspoons picked fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (optional)
½ cup green olives, preferably Spanish
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
8 to 10 ounces salad greens
Cut and roast the potatoes
Set a rack toward the bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the baby potatoes in half lengthwise.
On the baking sheet, toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 3/4 teaspoons salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Arrange them so they’re cut side down and roast on the bottom rack of the oven for 15 minutes, until browned and nearly tender.
While the potatoes roast, prep and cook the squid
Check the white tubular squid bodies to make sure there are no pieces of cartilage inside. If there are, pull them out and discard them. Cut the bodies crosswise into ½-inch rings. Leave the tentacles whole.
In a large bowl, toss the squid with another 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the thyme, Aleppo pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt.
After the potatoes have roasted for 15 minutes, stir the potatoes a few times, then push them to one side of the baking sheet. Spread out the squid to the other side of the baking sheet. Roast the squid and potatoes together until the squid rings are opaque throughout (you can cut one to check) and just starting to curl at the ends, 5 to 7 minutes.
Let the potatoes and squid cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes.
Prep the olives, mix the dressing, and finish the salad
If your olives have pits, use the flat side of a knife to crush each olive and then pull out the pit. Roughly chop the olives.
In a large bowl, whisk the vinegar with the mayonnaise and paprika. Gradually whisk in the remaining ¼ cup olive oil.
Add the potatoes and squid to the dressing and toss.
Fold in the salad greens and olives just before serving.
The short version
Cut the potatoes in half, toss with olive oil and salt, and roast in a 450°F oven toward the bottom of the oven for 15 minutes.
Prep the squid, toss with olive oil, thyme, Aleppo, and salt. Stir the potatoes a few times, push them to one side of the baking sheet, and add the squid to the other side. Roast until the squid is just opaque throughout, 5 to 7 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Pit and roughly chop the olives. In a large bowl, whisk the vinegar with the mayo and paprika. Gradually whisk in the remaining ¼ cup olive oil.
Add the potatoes and squid to the dressing and toss. Fold in the salad greens and olives just before serving.
Fun for kids
Toss the potatoes with olive oil and salt.
Prep the dressing.
Toss everything together.
Swaps
Instead of potatoes, you could use other root veggies. Make sure they’re cut into small bite-sized pieces.
Instead of squid, add tinned seafood to the salad. (No need to cook it!)
Instead of thyme, use oregano or skip it.
Instead of sherry vinegar, use red wine vinegar.
Instead of mayo, use more olive oil.
Bonus points
If you have some cherry tomatoes on hand, you could cut them in half and add them.
I can promise you that further down the road as I am with one older kid that she will brag that her mom made squid on a weeknight. Beautiful recipe! And thank you for the information on how to source it thoughtfully, too.
Well, did your daughter like it/eat it in the end?