Squid with Chiles and Greens
Instructions:
- Squid cooks so fast and freezes so well that this dish can
easily become a pantry staple for weeknights. As with
most stir-fries, just about all the ingredients can be varied.
Serve with Steamed Sticky Rice, Thai Style
, or over rice noodles.
Other seafood you can use: shrimp or scallops.
Other vegetables you can use: any cooking green, like
pea shoots, cabbage, watercress, or spinach; chopped carrots
or parsnips (for a nice all-white dish); chopped bell
peppers. (You can add a little chopped fresh Thai basil or
mint at the end if you’re not using greens.)
- About 11/2 pounds cleaned squid
- 8 to 12 ounces bitter greens, like collards, kale, arugula, or dandelion
- 3 tablespoons peanut or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn
- 1 chopped jalapeño or other fresh chile, or to taste, or several dried hot chiles
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- Salt
- Separate the squids’ tentacles from their bodies if that has not been done; slice the bodies into rings; cut the tentacles in half if they’re large . Rinse well and drain while you prepare the other ingredients. Strip the greens’ leaves from the stems and discard any stems thicker than 1/8 inch. Chop, rinse, and dry; you want 2 to 3 cups.
- Put the oil in a large skillet over high heat. When hot, add the chile and the garlic and stir for about 15 seconds.
- Add the greens and cook, stirring almost constantly, until they wilt, about 2 minutes. Add the squid and a large pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squid becomes opaque and its liquid moistens the greens, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve immediately.