Blanched calamari with tuna sauce and olives

Name: Blanched calamari with tuna sauce and olives recipe
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 red or white onion, peeled; 700g cleaned small squid, wings on, tentacles cut into pairs; 1 quantity tuna mayonnaise; 2 lemons, segmented and diced (squeeze and reserve the juice from the membranes); 20.00 ml small capers; 2 long green chillies, finely sliced into rounds; 10 semi-dried or Kalamata olives, pitted and torn; 1 handful mint leaves; 1 handful fennel fronds; 2 tsp fennel seeds, roughly ground, or fennel pollen; Extra virgin olive oil, to serve; 2 tsp fennel seeds; 1 garlic clove; Salt flakes; 185g tin tuna in oil; 160g good-quality whole egg mayonnaise; Juice of 1/2 lemon

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P80 Blanched calamari with tuna sauce and olives

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by delicious. team

delicious. team

Dec 01, 2022

"This salad borrows a technique from South-East Asia. I was inspired by blanched squid, cooked in a hot and spicy dressing with herbs. This version strongly veers in an Italian direction. It’s important that your saucepan is large, so when you add the squid it starts boiling almost immediately, as it’s a very quick, hot blanch."

1 red or white onion, peeled
700g cleaned small squid, wings on, tentacles cut into pairs
1 quantity tuna mayonnaise
2 lemons, segmented and diced (squeeze and reserve the juice from the membranes)
1 tbs small capers
2 long green chillies, finely sliced into rounds
10 semi-dried or Kalamata olives, pitted and torn
1 handful mint leaves
1 handful fennel fronds
2 tsp fennel seeds, roughly ground, or fennel pollen
Extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Tuna mayonnaise

2 tsp fennel seeds
1 garlic clove
Salt flakes
185g tin tuna in oil
160g good-quality whole egg mayonnaise
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Method

1.

Using a mandoline, finely slice onion into rounds. Soak in cold water for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large heavy-based saucepan of salted water to a rolling boil. Blanch squid (in batches if needed, to maintain the heat) for 40 seconds.
2.

Refresh in cold water and drain very well. Finely slice the hoods crossways. Spoon tuna mayonnaise onto a serving plate, then arrange squid over the top. Pat onion dry and scatter over the squid. Top with lemon segments and juice, capers, chilli and olives. Scatter herbs and fennel seeds over, season with salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle generously with oil before serving.
3.

For the tuna mayonnaise sing a mortar and pestle, finely grind 2 tsp fennel seeds. Add 1 garlic clove and grind to a paste with a little bit of salt flakes. Transfer to a food processor. Drain 185g tin tuna in oil, add to the food processor and blitz until crumb-like in texture. Add 160g good-quality whole- egg mayonnaise and blitz until smooth. If necessary, add a little more mayonnaise to achieve a thick sauce-like consistency. Mix in the juice of 1/2 lemon, then season to taste. The mayonnaise will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Makes about 500g (2 cups).