RECIPE: Calamares Guisados

Squid is fished in all corners of the globe and prepared in myriad ways from raw as sashimi, to quickly cooked, fried or sautéed versions and in slow cooked stews. In addition to cooking methods, squid is extremely versatile in terms of the ingredients that will marry well with it, from delicate citrus in say a seafood salad, or a long cooked spicy, red wine stew as the Tuscans do.

Here the stewing method is used and the squid is cooked with chorizo, harissa, cilantro and lime creating a dish with a lot of depth and spice that is however balanced with the herb and citrus.

With wine…
The goal with this recipe is to cook it in a way that it is versatile and will pair well with a variety of Spanish wines both white and red. The chorizo and harissa are what make this dish pair beautifully with the ripe fruit and spice of a Garnacha. The cilantro and lime give the dish lift and make it compatible with a crisp fruity Albariño. I hope you agree!

Calamari Stew with Chorizo, Cilantro and Lime

by Chef Matthew MacCartney
Serves 4 as appetizer

Ingredients:

1 pound Calamari Tubes and Tentacles – Cleaned and tubes cut in half longways then in eight longways to form strips; cut the tentacles in half or quarters if they are large so they cook evenly.
2 ounces Extra Virgin Olive oil
2 ounces Scallions (approx. 5) – washed and sliced ¼ inch
1 Garlic clove– finely chopped
3 ounces Chorizo – cooked and cut in small dice ¼ inch
4 ounces Dry Fino Sherry
1 Tablespoon Harissa paste
1/3 cup Cilantro leaves (before chopping) – washed, dried and roughly chopped
½ Lime – juiced
Cracked black pepper

Instructions:

In a 10 inch sautée pan warm 2 ounces of olive oil and add the garlic, chorizo, and scallions. Cook for 3 minutes on medium heat. The scallions should be soft.
Add the calamari, sherry, and harissa. Cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. Add a touch of water if the liquid evaporates. The calamari should be tender and the dish should be moist. Not completely dried out or too wet. Run your spatula through the sauce. The sauce should “clean” the bottom of the pan and then come back.
Add lime juice, chopped cilantro and black pepper. Taste – the salt should be fine between the harissa and chorizo, but adjust to your liking.
Drizzle with good olive oil and serve warm with crusty bread