Spicy Grilled Calamari Salad

It's time to put that deep fryer away. While breaded, fried calamari seems to be a national American treasure, sauteed calamari over a bed of greens is a healthier alternative that I hope will become more commonplace sometime soon. Years ago in Italy I had my first real calamari salad - super fresh sauteed calamari over lettuce dressed with a light douse of garlic-lemon vinaigrette. To this day I mimic that salad at home. But when I want to mix things up, I make this sweet and spicy vinaigrette instead.  It's a magical blend of sambal oelek, fish sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, brown sugar and peanut oil. 

This is a light, protein rich salad with both Mediterranean and Asian influences.  It's the perfect lunch for a warm sunny spring day and even more perfect when paired with with a glass of  Sauvignon Blanc. 

Spicy Sauteed Calamari Salad

2 lbs fresh squid, tubes and tentacles

2 T canola or grapeseed oil

4 T brown sugar

6 T sambal oelek

2 T fish sauce

1 t + 1/2 t sesame oil

1 T fresh lime juice

1/2 c peanut oil

1/2 head romaine, julienned

1/3 head radicchio, julienned {if radicchio is to bitter for you, you can use a little bit of red leaf lettuce}

2 T toasted sesame seeds

To make the dressing, combine the brown sugar, sambal oelek, fish sauce, sesame oil, lime juice and peanut oil in a bowl. Set aside.

Place the romaine and radicchio in a large bowl. Set aside.

Pat the squid dry with a paper towel and then toss with canola or grapeseed oil. Heat a grill pan or non-stick skillet over high heat.  When pan is piping hot, add the squid in a single layer in batches and cook until just done - for me that was less than two minutes on each side. Remove cooked calamari from pan, placing the tentacles with the romaine and radicchio and the tubes on a cutting board. When all of the calamari is cooked and cool enough to handle, slice the tubes into 3/4" slices and add the bowl of salad. Slowly add dressing to the bowl, starting with 4 T. Toss and add more dressing as desired {*}. 

Divide salad among 4 plates and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. 

Serves 4.

{Leftover dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and has kept for me for a few days. I like to drizzle it over grilled tofu or steamed tempeh}.

Source: Adapted from Marc Murphy and the LA Times.