Squid is easy on the wallet, full of protein, and delicious when cooked on the grill. And the cider-pomegranate sauce couldn’t be simpler. It is inspired by the Moorish cooking of Sam Clark at his restaurant Moro in London, where he uses pomegranate molasses to flavor many sauces. We replace the pomegranate molasses with cider syrup.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh whole squid
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Handful of arugula
- Cider-Pomegranate Sauce for finishing
- 1 lemon, halved
How to Make It
- Rinse the squid well. Cut off the tentacles just above the eyes and squeeze out the hard beak from the center. Place the tentacles in a strainer over a bowl to drain. Using your index finger, pull out all of the entrails, including the ink sac, from inside the body. Pull out the transparent quill. Rinse the squid under cool water to clean thoroughly and add it to the strainer to drain.
- Light your charcoal grill (or fire up your gas grill) and let preheat for 30 minutes. Place the cleaned squid in a medium bowl. Add the olive oil and salt and let marinate until the grill is hot and ready.
- Grill the squid over high heat for 1 minute on each side, or until the squid has grill marks and is slightly charred. Watch carefully; this happens very quickly on high heat and it is crucial not to overcook, as the squid will get tough.
- Arrange the grilled squid on a platter and top with fresh arugula leaves. Drizzle generously with Cider-Pomegranate Sauce. Squeeze lemon juice over the entire dish and serve hot.