I love me some fresh squid! I recently picked up a pound of fresh squid from my local seafood market in Long Beach, California. And I’ve been wanting to make some Mực Chiên also known as fried squid.

Have you ever been to Japanese restaurants? A lot of the times they have a delicious season fried squid. However, they usually have deep fryers to make the batter extra crispy but I don’t have the luxury of using all that oil. So we’re just gonna make an easy version at home.

We’re keeping it simple. I’ve recently used Kikkoman tempura batter mix, and it makes it so much easier! All you have to do is add a little seasoning into the mix and then prep your squid.

Prepping the squid can get a little tricky if you’ve never done it before but don’t worry it’s not that hard. First you have to cut off the tentacles right underneath the eyeballs. Make sure you don’t cut the eyes because it might release some dark fluids. There’s a hard ball in the tentacles called a ‘beak’ you’ll want to push that out too. Next you’ll want to pull out the little cartilage spine they have this part is not edible so make sure you pull it out. Then I take the back of my blade and push out all the internal organs that’s in the tube. Be gentle when doing this cause you don’t wanna break the ink sack. After that you’ll want to cut the tube into little rings and rinse everything.

Make sure you pat dry the squid really well before you cook it otherwise it will cause a lot of splatter and it will hurt. I also recommend serving this with spicy mayo and a wedge of lemon.

The Easiest Mực Chiên (Fried Squid) Recipe

Recipe by Jen H. DaoCourse: Recipes

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

1 lb squid (cleaned and cut into rings)
1 c tempura mix (I used Kikkoman)
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 c water
Neutral Oil for Frying (I used coconut oil)

Directions

Clean and cut squid into rings. Rinse throughly and pat dry with paper towels.
Mix garlic powder, salt and pepper into tempura mix. Then whisk in the water.
Heat up oil in a small pot/pan on med heat. Once oil is hot (you can put a wooden chopstick in to gauge. If it bubbles, you’re ready.) Cover each squid piece in the batter, shake off any excess and cook squid for 2-3 mins, flipping halfway.
Place on paper towels/cooling rack. Optional: Serve with lemon and spicy mayo.