Dab a la Meuniere with Calamari Rings

 

Dab with butter sauce and calamari rings

Dab is a flatfish, similar in shape and appearance to the likes of flounder or plaice. Although it is fairly common around the Scottish coasts, it is perhaps not so commonly found in supermarkets or even fishmongers. This is a great shame as it is a very tasty little fish and well worth trying if you do happen to catch one yourself, know a sea fisherman who could help you out or if you are lucky enough to come across it in a retail outlet.

Calamari is a type of squid - or very often, a name used for other types of squid to make them sound more interesting and appetising on restaurant menus! The small ones used in this instance are native to the Pacific Ocean. They can very easily be bought frozen in the UK, mainly from the likes of Asian hypermarkets. It is a very popular bait for sea fishermen as it is lethal for the likes of cod and pollack but it is also a very tasty eat in its own right. It makes sense in the first instance for me to show you how to clean a calamari squid. While not difficult to do, it is not necessarily obvious from the outset how this task should be performed.

NB - While frozen calamari can very often be found in fishing tackle shops, it is intended in these instances to be used only for bait and should never be considered suitable for human consumption.

How to Clean a Calamari Squid

Frozen calamari squid

It is important in the first instance to let the calamari fully defrost. This can be done in the fridge overnight or you can simply sit them in a covered dish at room temperature for a few hours.

How you intend cooking the calamari and perhaps, most specifically, which parts of the calamari you intend cooking, may cause you to vary this process slightly but the principal is largely the same in all instances.

Hold the main body of the squid (technically known as the mantle) in your weaker hand and the head/tentacles in your stronger hand. Pinch gently between the head and body with the thumb and forefinger of your stronger hand and gently twist/pull the innards out of the squid, still attached to the head part. Set aside for the moment.

Cleaned calamari body and tentacles

There is a plastic-like spine commonly referred to as a, "Feather," contained within the body of the squid. You should easily be able to feel it. The easiest way to remove it is to pinch it at the neck end of the body and gently but firmly pull it free. This is totally inedible and should be discarded.

Gently twist the wing at either side of the mantle end and peel free. These are perfectly edible. The removal of the wings should also make it easier to carefully peel/rub away the skin/membrane from the main body. This should always be done. Pinch the pointed/tail end of the squid and gently squeeze out any remaining intestines. Wash the body carefully in a bowl of cold water.

Cleaned calamari mantles

Lay the tentacles and body part of the calamari on a chopping board. Cut just above the eyes, nearest the head, to free the tentacles, trying not to pierce the eyes. Discard the innards part. Gently pull off and discard the two longer white tentacles. You will be able to feel a hard beak at the mouth of the calamari. This has to be removed and discarded. Simply squeeze gently behind it and pop it free. I will include a recipe incorporating calamari tentacles on this page at a later date.

And now, on to the main recipe of the day, the Dab a la Meuniere with Calamari Rings!

Ingredients

• 1 whole dab, guts and fins removed
• Flour for dusting dab
• 2 small calamari mantles, cut across the way in to rings
• 2 ounces (50g/0.5 stick) unsalted butter
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 teaspoons freshly chopped French (curly leaf) parsley
• Salt and pepper

Starting to fry dab in butter

Gently melt half the butter in a small, non-stick frying pan. Scatter some flour on a plate, season with salt and pepper and pat the dab in it on both sides before laying carefully into the pan of melted butter. Fry gently for about 4 minutes each side before lifting to a heated plate and covering with foil to help keep it warm.

Calamari rings are fried in butter

Give the pan a careful, cursory wipe with a wad of kitchen paper (no need to wash it!) and add the remaining butter. When the butter is melted, add the lemon juice and the calamari rings. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring the rings around the pan gently as they cook with a wooden spoon. Stir in the parsley at the very last minute.

Lift the dab to your serving plate and spoon over the calamari rings and butter sauce to serve.