Crunchy squid with lime and chilli mayonnaise

Who does not love fried food? I know I do. I love anything fried. There's just something about the 'crunch' that's utterly irresistible. One of my all time favourite food is fried chicken, homemade of course. But secretly, every now and then I buy fried chicken from fast food place where the mixture of herbs and spices, all eleven of them remain a secret. I could eat a bucket of them, although that would mean the end of my short life.

Fried courgettes have got to be next on my list of all-time favourite food, and then of course, fries, calamari, and et cetera. I could go on and on and on... Oh, one more thing, deep-fried mars bars. I was introduced to these devils a few years ago and it may sound bonkers, but it's so good. The mars bars are fried in batter until gooey in the middle, slightly crunchy on the outside and then dusted with icing sugar. Enough said.

For dinner tonight, I made Jamie's crunchy squid with lime and chilli mayonnaise which technically is deep-fried squid. But I suppose the word 'crunchy' sounds better than 'deep-fried' and less off putting.

And of course you don't need a deep fryer to deep fry. I don't. I use a regular cooking pot.

Start by making the lime and chilli mayonnaise by simply mixing in a bowl, mayonnaise, finely chopped fresh red chilli, lime and lemon zest and juice. You can add a little salt if you want, but I find store-bought is already salty, even the organic ones.

Next, make your seasoned flour. Seasoned flour is just flour with salt and pepper, but I couldn't resist adding smoked paprika which adds to the flavour as well as the colour. I did all this in a zip lock bag for less washing up. Add the squids to the flour and shake them around until all the pieces are lightly coated.

Shake off any excess flour and fry until the squids are crispy and golden. Remove and leave to drain on some kitchen paper. Serve on a platter with the mayonnaise and lemon or lime wedge.


Have a great one.