Simple, perfect calamari

Generally, I don't go for deep-fried foods. I mean, okay, a bowl of good, hand cut frites is one of my favourite things in the world. But when it comes to meat and seafood? I don't want my fish fillets deep-fried. I don't want my chicken drumsticks deep fried. And I certainly don't want my calamari deep-fried. Personal taste and all, I guess.

I pan fry or barbecue my calamari and I urge you to try doing the same. This recipe is based upon a River Cottage recipe, so props to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall for the idea.

The secret with calamari is to not overcook it. I mean, I can't emphasise this enough. Prepare squid the right way and it'll be amazingly tender. Overcook it even a little and it'll be tough. Inedible, even.

Ingredients:

1 fresh squid
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 small chillies, finely diced
1 lemon, quartered
freshly ground black pepper
oil

Prepare the squid by chopping off the head. Discard the beak. Hang on to the tentacles--you can fry or barbecue them too and they'll be lovely, so long as you don't overcook them. Please.

Carefully open the body with a knife and lay it out flat. There might be a large sack of goo--that means the squid was knocked up, I think--which should be discarded. Use a paper towel to remove the thin, clear membrane from what used to be the body's internal wall. Cleaning squid is a quicker and easier process than cleaning fish (supposing you clean your fish dry).

Once the squid is clean, use the tip of a sharp knife to score a criss-cross pattern into one side of the flesh. Be careful. Be gentle. You're not trying to slice the poor thing into ribbons here. The goal is to make 'trenches' in the flesh that will catch the pieces of chilli and garlic.

When the squid has been scored, cut it into thick strips. Rub the chilli and garlic and freshly ground black pepper into the 'trenches'. Smear the squid with a little oil and place in the fridge, covered, for a hour or two to let the flavours develop.

Pre-heat a pan or barbecue to really hot. 'Really hot' as in smoking hot--the same temperature you'd get it to if you wanted to give a piece of steak a lovely, crispy coating. Place the squid pieces, scored side up, into the pan. Squeeze lemon juice over them. After 45 seconds, flip them over. Squeeze lemon juice over them. They'll start to curl up. After 45 seconds, flip them over again for 30-45 seconds, ensuring the part that curled cooks properly. Squeeze lemon juice over them and remove from the pan.