SQUID ON THE PLANCHA

 

Squid grills on a plancha in minutes. Serve it with parsley-garlic aliño and a side of pipirrana tomato relish.

I passed up my chance to lunch with the family at a chiringuito on the beach. I am so missing my summer fix of spit-roasted sardines and plancha-grilled squid. I will have to cook them at home.

 

Although I have eaten grilled squid in restaurants and tapa bars many a time, I somehow didn’t remember that it is usually grilled whole. I asked my fish lady to clean the squid and split it lengthwise, making a sort of squid cutlet instead of a tube. In fact, it’s easier to control the grilling if it’s a flat piece. 

The classic accompaniment to grilled squid is garlic-parsley aliño, or dressing. I jazzed it up a bit with the addition of chile and cilantro. A chopped salad such as pipirrana of tomatoes, peppers, and onions doubles as a side dish and relish. 

Slice the grilled squid and serve with pungent garlic-parsley oil.

Side dish of pipirrana tomato-pepper salad doubles as a sauce.

Grilled Squid

Calamar a la Plancha

A small squid (8 ounces before cleaning) cooks in 1 to 2 minutes. Take care not to overcook or it will toughen. Add lemon juice to the parsley aliño immediately before serving so that the acidic lemon doesn’t leach the color from the green parsley. 

• Use paper towels to pat the squid dry.

• Turn on extractor fan; turn off smoke alarm.

• Heat the plancha very hot; oil lightly.

• Lay the squid on the plancha and do not move it until ready to turn.

• Cook on one side until it begins to brown. Turn and grill lightly on reverse side. Do not overcook or squid will become tough. 

Squid, about 8 ounces each

½ teaspoon coarse salt

1-2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

Chile (optional)

¼ cup packed parsley and/or cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

1/3 cup olive oil + more for the plancha

Table salt

Few drops of lemon juice (optional)

Clean the squid, discarding viscera, ink sac, cartilage, and beak. Save the tentacles and fin flaps. Cut the body pouch open lengthwise (or leave it whole). Place skin-side up on a cutting board and score the surface of the squid. Pat it dry with paper towels.

Place the coarse salt and garlic in a mortar and crush. Add the chile, if using, and the parsley. Pound to make a smooth green paste. Stir in the oil, 1 tablespoon at a time. 

Heat a plancha or heavy skillet on high. Brush it with oil. Lay the squid body, scored-side down, on the plancha. Grill without moving until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. If squid tends to curl, press it down with a spatula or place a weight on top.

Turn the squid and grill the reverse side 30 seconds. Remove. Grill the tentacles and fins in the same manner. Sprinkle the squid with a little table salt. If desired, slice it into crosswise strips. 

Stir the parsley oil and add the lemon juice, if using. Serve alongside the grilled squid.

Seaside chiringuito on the Costa del Sol, where grilled sardines and squid are a specialty.

More recipes with squid:

Squid in Its Own Ink 

Fried Squid Sandwich with Alioli 

Squid Stuffed with Meat (with how-to prep squid)

Squid Stuffed with Hake Roe 

And, sardines: Grilled Sardines

More about plancha grilling.

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IRRESISTIBLE GRILLED OCTOPUS

 It was the aroma, not of sardines but of octopus, that grabbed me. I had already enjoyed  lashings of espetones, sardines and sea bass grilled on skewers at a chiringuito by the sea. Strolling along the beach path after lunch, at the next beach shack, I spotted the octopus, whole ones, speared on sticks stuck in the sand and searing by the fire. The smell was enticing, irresistible. I’ve been dreaming about octopus ever since.

Grilled octopus, skin a little charred, is irresistible.

I occasionally cook octopus (links to several recipes are below). It’s a bit of a process, but pretty straightforward once you conquer any initial queasiness about this slippery cephalopod. But, it was finding packaged cooked octopus at the supermarket that inspired me to prepare grilled octopus at home.

Yes, you have to cook the octopus before grilling. Grilling does not cook the octopus, it provides “value added.” It takes about three minutes and adds the distinctive flavors of seared flesh and smoke. Starting with pre-cooked octopus, it’s quick and easy. So much so that no recipe is needed, just a little orientation.

If you buy fresh, uncooked octopus, it must first be tenderized by freezing it for three days (never mind beating it). Thaw, then cook it in simmering water for 10 to 15 minutes per pound or until tender when tested with a skewer. Discard viscera from inside the head and the mouth beak. Do not remove the skin. (Complete instructions are here.)

Small octopus (1-pound or less) can be grilled whole. Large ones need to be dismembered—cut off each tentacle (it’s actually an “arm” or, in Spanish, a “pata.”) to be grilled separately and cut the head into several strips. Keep the purplish skin with the suckers intact, if possible. The skin helps to keep the octopus juicy.

Cooked, shrink-wrapped octopus tentacles.

The cooked octopus I purchased was already divided into tentacles. They only needed washing and patting dry. 

If you plan to grill the octopus over coals, brush the pieces with oil. If grilling on a plancha or in a skillet, heat the plancha, then brush oil on the grill, not the octopus.  

Heat the grill very hot, so the octopus quickly sears and does not release a lot of juice. Once one side is browned, use tongs to turn it. 

How to serve? Grilled octopus is amazing straight off the grill, with the skin just a little crispy. It can be served as finger food—just pick up a tentacle with fingers—or cut into bite-size pieces. 

In Galicia (northwest Spain), octopus is invariably served with a simple ajada of coarse salt, olive oil and pimentón (paprika). In Andalusia (southern Spain), it is accompanied by aliño, a dressing of chopped garlic, parsley, olive oil and lemon. I made a sauce by combining mayonnaise with both hot and sweet pimentón. 

In Galicia, octopus is usually paired with cachelos, boiled potatoes, dressed with the same oil and pimentón as the octopus. Another version calls for smooth mashed potatoes. I served the octopus with “smashed” potatoes. 

Grilled octopus tentacles accompanied by smashed potatoes and a spicy pimentón mayonnaise. Crisp Albariño wine from Galicia is the perfect match.

Slather the sauce on the octopus and the potatoes.

Cut grilled octopus in bite-sized pieces to serve as tapas.

Toss chopped grilled octopus in a salad with tomatoes, green peppers, onions and potatoes. (Good idea for leftovers.) Add a vinaigrette of olive oil, lemon juice and Dijon mustard.

Grilled Octopus

Pulpo a la Parilla

Serves 4.

1 pound cooked octopus (about 6 tentacles)

Olive oil

Flaky salt

Sauce to serve (recipe follows)

Grilling in cast-iron skillet. 

Heat coals, plancha or skillet very hot. Oil either the octopus or the plancha. Lay the tentacles on the grill. Sear them until lightly browned on one side, about 1 minute. Use tongs to turn the pieces and grill the other side, about 1 minute.

Remove the tentacles with tongs. Sprinkle with flaky salt and drizzle with additional olive oil. Either serve the octopus immediately or allow it to cool, then use kitchen shears to cut into pieces. Serve accompanied by sauce.

Mayonnaise-Spicy Pimentón Sauce

Mojo Picón con Mayonesa

This sauce is a blend of mojo picón, a spicy chile sauce, and mayonnaise. Use regular sweet pimentón (paprika), not smoked, plus one or two spoonfuls of smoked spicy-hot pimentón. If pimentón picante is not available, use fresh red chile or cayenne to taste. The mojo picón is usually thinned with water. In this version, bottled mayonnaise gives it a smooth, creamy texture. It’s delicious with potatoes and other vegetables as well as the octopus.

4 cloves garlic

1 small shallot, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons sweet pimentón (not smoked)

2 teaspoons hot smoked pimentón (picante)

½ teaspoon cumin

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons wine vinegar

½ cup mayonnaise

Salt to taste

In a mini food processor, mince the garlic and shallot. Add the two kinds of pimentón, cumin, oil and vinegar and process until smooth. Add the mayonnaise and process again to mix well. Add salt to taste (about ½ teaspoon). 

If not using immediately, store the sauce, covered, in the refrigerator.

More recipes with octopus:

Octopus with Tomato Sauce.

Galician Octopus and Potatoes.

Octopus Salad.

Garlic-Parsley Sauce for Grilled Foods (Aliño)

A chiringuito beach lunch.

MIXED GRILL, ALL VEGETABLES

I thought grilled asparagus had gone out of style, but there it was on the menu at a restaurant where we had lunch on the way to Ronda. Fat, green and juicy, that asparagus was so delicious that I’ve been on a vegetable-grilling kick ever since.

A mixed grill of all vegetables.

It was in La Mancha, a few years back, that I first had a mixed-grill of vegetables served as a starter. Not just asparagus, but sliced eggplant, zucchini, peppers and onions as well, cooked on a plancha, grill pan, or on a parrilla, over coals. Sometimes it was served with sliced serrano ham or salchichón, a dry-cured sausage similar to salami. Sometimes it came with alioli, garlic mayonnaise.

Serve the grilled vegetables as a starter.

A springtime treat! Asparagus grilled on a plancha.

Pan-Grilled Vegetables
Verduras a la Parrilla

Some of the vegetables suitable for pan grilling.

This assortment of pan-grilled vegetables makes a good starter, in place of a salad. Sliced, the grilled vegetables make a great stuffing for a bocadillo (sandwich on a crusty roll), pita or tortilla wraps.

Use a plancha grill pan or---

 

Use a ridged grill pan, a flat griddle (plancha) or a cast-iron skillet. Cooking time will vary for each vegetable, depending on thickness, but all should cook in 10 minutes or less. Grill the eggplant very tender, but allow asparagus and onion to stay somewhat crisp.

The vegetables, hot or room temperature, are delicious with nothing more elaborate than extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. However, if you like, serve them with alioli, garlic mayonnaise (recipe below).

---a cast-iron skillet.

Serves 4.

1 medium eggplant (about ¾ pound)
1 medium zucchini (about ¾ pound)
Coarse salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 red bell pepper
8 asparagus spears
1 onion
4 mushrooms, such as portabella, oyster, or porcini
2 firm plum tomatoes, quartered
4 cloves unpeeled garlic
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Parsley or basil sprigs to garnish
Lemon wedges, to serve

Peel the eggplant and cut off the stem end. Cut lengthwise into ¾-inch thick slices. Place in a shallow pan. Trim ends of zucchini and slice it lengthwise into ½-inch thick slices. Place in a single layer in the pan. Sprinkle eggplant and zucchini on both sides with salt. Let them stand 1 hour. Drain the eggplant and zucchini in a colander 15 minutes. Pat dry.

Wipe out the shallow pan. Spread the eggplant and zucchini slices in it. Brush them on both sides with oil. 

To peel or not to peel?

Cut the pepper into quarters, discarding stem and seeds. Use a vegetable peeler to shave outer skins from asparagus. (I tried asparagus both ways--actually prefer unpeeled, although they need a little longer on the grill.)

Cut onion in quarters. Spread pepper, asparagus, onion, mushrooms, tomato, and garlic in another shallow pan and brush them with oil.

Brush a ridged grill pan, flat griddle or cast-iron skillet with oil and heat very hot. Cook each of the vegetables until tender, turning slices with tongs to grill both sides. Eggplant will need about 8-10 minutes; zucchini, 6; asparagus, 8; onion, 5; mushrooms, 8; tomato, 3.

Arrange slices of each vegetable on 4 plates. Sprinkle with coarse salt and drizzle 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil over each serving. Garnish with parsley or basil. Serve warm or room temperature.

Slice the grilled vegetables and layer them in a sandwich or wrap in a tortilla.

It's a wrap! Yummy.

Alioli with Smoked Pimentón

Garlic mayonnaise with a touch of smoked pimentón--good with all vegetables.

You can use the grilled garlic and a piece of grilled red pepper in this sauce. Use

¾ cup mayonnaise
1-2 cloves garlic
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon smoked pimentón
Pinch of hot pimentón or cayenne
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Salt

Combine the mayonnaise and garlic in a blender. Add the oil, pimentón, hot pimentón, cumin and lemon juice and blend until smooth. Stir in the parsley. Add salt to taste.

Pan grilling adds so much flavor to vegetables.

GRILLING ON A PLANCHA

Vegetables grilling on a plancha.

Summer means grilling season. I know that. But rarely do I fire up a charcoal or wood-fired grill for only one or two persons. Instead, I do my grilling on a plancha in the comfort of the kitchen.

Plancha means a metal plate. It’s also the word for “iron,” the sort you iron your clothes with. Nowadays, irons are electric, but I once lived in an old mill house in the country with no electricity. We heated heavy planchas on a gas fire to iron our clothes. I had a pair of them—one to heat while the other was in use. 

But, back to grilling on a plancha. In a tapa bar, a plancha is the same sort of griddle you might find in a fast-food joint for grilling hamburgers. Instead of burgers, the grill meister is cooking tiny squid; whole, unpeeled prawns; slabs of swordfish steak; pork cutlets, and small steaks, basting them with aliño, a mixture of olive oil, garlic, parsley and lemon. I am amazed at the skill, knowing exactly when to turn each piece of food, when to remove it from the grill.

A plancha is a great tool for home cooking. I prefer a heavy, cast-iron grill pan that heats evenly. Especially useful is a reversible one—ridged grill pan on one side, great for steaks, and flat griddle on the other, perfect for fish and shellfish. The plancha sets directly over a gas burner.

Hake steak on a flat plancha.

How to grill on a plancha: Place the plancha over high heat until very hot, about 4 minutes. Then brush the grill with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt (same procedure whether using a flat or ridged grill pan). Place food to be grilled on the plancha. Keep the heat on high to get a good sear on the food. Don’t move it around. Then turn it.

Timing is the tricky bit, just as it is with grilling on charcoal. It takes some practice to know when to turn the food, when to take it off the grill.

Chicken breasts on a ridged grill pan.

If you don’t have a plancha, substitute a large cast iron skillet. An extractor fan helps to draw out the smoke from grilling, but you might set off the smoke alarm in any case. By the way, any of the foods cooked on a plancha can also be cooked a la parilla, on a charcoal or wood-fired grill.

What I most like about plancha cooking is that it doesn’t need a whole lot of pre-planning—no marinades, rubs, brines required. But, plancha-grilled foods really do need a sensational sauce. Romesco sauce with grilled shrimp. Alioli (garlic-olive oil mayonnaise) with griddled lamb chops or rabbit. Piquillo pepper sauce with fish. Here’s a bunch more.

Aliño
Sauce for Grilled Foods

This simple sauce is spooned over grilled foods immediately before serving. Use it with griddled baby cuttlefish, grilled chicken breast or any fish fillet. The sauce can also be used as a marinade or basting sauce. Keep it handy when you´re grilling meat, poultry and fish.

Aliño in the making.

2 cloves chopped garlic
½ cup chopped parsley
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix. Use at room temperature. Sauce may be kept, covered and refrigerated, for up to one week.

Grilled hake and vegetables, drizzled with aliño.

Mojo Verde
Green Chile Sauce with Cilantro

This spicy Canary Islands sauce is sensational with grilled fish, lamb, or vegetables.

Cilantro, garlic, chiles for mojo verde.

4 cloves garlic
1 green chile, such as jalapeño (or to taste)
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
½ cup chopped parsley
½ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons water
   
Place all ingredients in a blender container and blend until smooth. Sauce keeps, covered and refrigerated, one week.

Squid and sliced potatoes are grilled on a plancha, served with spicy mojo verde. The squid was cut open lengthwise, edges snipped to prevent their curling and grilled whole, then cut in pieces to serve. The potatoes were partially cooked whole, then sliced and brushed with olive oil before placing on the grill pan.

Mojo Picón
Red Chile Sauce

Serve this as a dipping sauce for chips, with grilled chicken or meat.

Piquant mojo picón.

3 tablespoons pimentón (paprika), not smoked
1 fresh red chile, seeded and chopped, or cayenne to taste
4 cloves garlic
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons water

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. If desired, thin with a little water. Sauce keeps one week, refrigerated.

Grilled chicken and butternut squash with mojo picón.

Sliced chicken on grilled bread with spicy red chile sauce.

Salsa Cabrales
Cabrales Blue Cheese Sauce

Cabrales is a distinctive blue cheese from Asturias—sharp, but remarkably creamy in consistency. It makes a delightful dressing or dip when thinned with wine or, in the Asturian style, dry cider. It's a classic served with grilled entrecote steaks. But, you know what? I didn't really like the blue cheese sauce with the steak. It was delicious, however, with the potatoes and as a dip with endive leaves.

Makes 2/3 cup

5 ounces Cabrales or other blue cheese
2 tablespoons chopped onions
1/3 cup white wine, cider or cava (sparkling wine)
Pinch of cumin seed

Place the cheese in a blender with onions, wine and cumin seed. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately or keep, covered and refrigerated, up to 3 days.

Ridged grill pan gives a good sear to steak, sliced potatoes.