Video #8- Vietnamese Stuffed Squid & Wine Blogging Wednesday

Clean squid by removing all innards and the cuttlebone (quill). Set on paper towels to remove excess water.

In separate bowl, combine pork, garlic, shallots, fish sauce, black pepper and sugar.

Keep the opening of the squid as wide as possible. Start by stuffing about 1 T of the pork stuffing inside body of squid. Fill to only about 1/2 to 3/4 full of the squid.

. “Sew” a thread through the opening of the squid to hold it together. Using another toothpick, poke holes in the squid body to create “vent” holes during cooking.

Do not OVERSTUFF! The filling will expand during cooking and the squid will shrink as it cooks. You don’t want any squid explosions in your pan!

Pan Fry-

Heat about 2 T of oil in pan to low/medium heat. Place squid on hot pan and as squid starts to cook, slowly rotate the cook so that it cooks evenly on all sides. Cook for about 10-20 minutes, depending on how big your squid is and how much you stuffed it. Continue to poke more holes in squid with a tooth pick to release air and juices trapped inside the squid.

Make sure the filling is cooked thoroughly. If needed, place a lid on pan for about 1-2 minutes to help keep the steam in to fully cook the squid filling. Remove the lid for the last 5-7 minutes of the cooking process to create a more grilled exterior textures for the squid. Remove from pan and enjoy!

Panko Deep Fry-

Heat oil to medium heat for deep frying. In small bowl, mix egg. In separate bowl, add panko bread crumbs.

Dip squid in egg wash, then dredge in panko.

Gently drop in oil. Fry squid on both sides till filling is thoroughly cooked. . Continue to poke more holes in squid with a tooth pick to release air and juices trapped inside the squid. The squid will cook quickly, so be ready to pull it out of hot oil immediately . Blot on paper towel.