How To Make Pan-Seared Squid With Chickpeas And Celery | Tasting Table Recipe
An Italian dish by way of Thailand
This dish pulls from two food cultures I love immensely: Italy and Thailand.
I wanted a dish that was simple yet refined, which is so much of what good Italian cooking is about. At the same time, I wanted to add an element of surprise, which comes in the form of a little bit of funky fish sauce. Lastly, a good dose of acid from both vinegar and lemon juice, as well as heat from red pepper flakes, mimics the spicy Thai salads I crave daily.
What I ended up with is a dish of stewed chickpeas and celery that is topped with pan-seared squid, which is tossed with fish sauce, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and red pepper flakes. A last-minute scattering of celery leaves adds a nice bit of crunch and ties everything together.
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Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen
- 1 pound squid, cleaned, bodies and tentacles left whole
- 2 large garlic cloves, mashed into a paste, plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- Salt, to taste
- Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, undrained
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- 4 stalks celery, thinly sliced, leaves reserved
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Zest of half a lemon
- Fish sauce, to taste
- Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- Place the bodies of the squid in a medium bowl. In a separate small bowl, place the tentacles.
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic paste with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Evenly distribute the garlic oil to the squid and toss. Let the squid marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- Meanwhile, in a medium pot over medium-high heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute until softened, another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chickpeas and bay leaf; reduce the heat to medium and cook until the chickpeas are very creamy but still intact, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the celery and cook until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and keep warm.
- In a large cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat, add half the squid. Season with salt and cook, tossing occasionally, until the squid is lightly charred and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and repeat with the remaining squid.
- Place the squid on a cutting board and slice the body into rounds. Toss with the celery leaves, vinegar and lemon zest. Season with fish sauce and red pepper flakes.
- Serve the squid over the chickpea stew. Top with a drizzle of olive oil.