Supper Club: This salt and pepper squid is everything we want tonight

Salt and pepper squid with Sansho spicy dip
Serves 4

Ingredients

• ½ tsp ground Sansho pepper
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 65g rice flour
• 450g squid, cleaned and sliced
• freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
• vegetable oil, for frying

For the Sansho Spicy Dip

• 115g good-quality mayonnaise
  
• 5g Vietnamese or regular basil leaves
  
• ½ tsp Sansho pepper
• ½ tsp sea salt
• grated zest of 1 lemon

Method

1. To make the dip, whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside.
2. In a large shallow bowl mix together the Sansho pepper, salt and rice flour. Put the squid in another bowl and pour over the lemon juice.
3. Pour enough oil to come halfway up a large saucepan, then place over a medium-high heat until the oil starts to simmer.
4. Take a few pieces of squid at a time and toss in the flour mixture to coat. Working in batches, deep-fry for 2-3 minutes until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to drain.
5. Pile the cooked squid in a shallow bowl and serve with the dip.

Extracted from Salt & Pepper by Valerie Aikman-Smith (Ryland Peters & Small). Photography © Ryland Peters & Small.