Serves: 6
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serve this fresh seafood dish and velvety aioli as a simple snack with a glass of Warwick First Lady Chardonnay or a light meal with a tangy green salad.
Ingredients
For the aioli:
Two egg yolks
40ml Dijon mustard
100ml Lemon juice
Zest and juice of one naartjie
200ml Extra virgin olive oil
200ml Canola oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the green salt:
One tbsp flat-leaf parsley
Two tbsp Basil
Three tbsp sea salt
Method
Step 1: Make the aioli by mixing the egg yolks and mustard in a large round bowl. Add the lemon and naartjie juice, as well as the naartjie zest. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, followed by the canola oil – be sure to whisk continuously and add the oil slowly, or your mayonnaise will split. Once all the oil has been added, season to taste.
Step 2: Next, prepare the coating for the squid: beat the egg whites until frothy. Place the cornflour in a separate mixing bowl and gently mix the egg white into the flour. Add the sparkling water and the seasoning.
Step 3: Place the squid on a few layers of paper towel and pat dry. Heat a little of the oil in a deep, heavy-based saucepan over high heat, enough to reach about 2cm up the sides. To test that the oil is hot enough, splash some of the batter in the oil – if it sizzles, you are good to go.
Step 4: Dip the squid in the mixture, about half a cup full at a time, and shallow fry until golden in colour. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel.
Step 5: Finely chop the parsley and basil in between frying the batches of squid and mix with the sea salt.
Step 6: Sprinkle the squid with the green salt and serve immediately with the naartjie aioli and a scattering of fresh basil.
