Quick Wok-Fired Squid with Greens
The ingredients: greens (we used bok choy), lime, garlic, brown sugar, serrano chili, basil, ginger, fish sauce and squid.
Amanda gives her wok a good wipe before we get started.
This recipe calls for all parts of the squid, which makes for a very pretty presentation.
Wildgreens calls for 2 serranos, but we used 1, since ours was on the big side -- but it's up to you and your palate.
Amanda grates the ginger using her microplane -- it pulverizes it almost to a paste.
A quick consultation on how to cut up the greens.
We decided on 1-inch strips.
Feel the vitamins!
Check out the name of the fish sauce stage left! Coincidence -- or not?
Amanda carefully weighs the basil. 1 ounce is a lot, and it's the key to this dish's lovely fragrance.
We got the wok smoking hot and added a tablespoon of olive oil.
Amanda threw in the greens right away before the oil had a chance to burn.
The greens only need a couple of minutes in the wok, and it's a good idea to keep them moving so they wilt evenly.
Tongs always make us feel like we work in a restaurant...
Time to get those greens out of the pan!
We loved the charred edges, which were full of flavor.
The garlic, ginger and serrano go in next, followed by the squid.
Fish sauce, lime juice and a touch of brown sugar join the squid.
The greens go back in with that big bunch of basil.
And that's it!
Share
- ✉
-
Author Notes: This dish doesn't get much easier to assemble. It requires less than 10 minutes of actual cooking time and about 10 minutes to prep the ingredients (even fewer if you buy your squid already cleaned).
I love the addition of the fish sauce to this dish. It adds a salty and savory note.
Depending on what's in season, you can add any number of greens, such as spinach, pea shoots, snow peas, tatsoi, and chives. - wildgreens - wildgreens
Food52 Review: We had never had squid prepared this way before, and now we wonder why. The clean, Southeast Asian flavors (ginger, garlic, lime juice, chile, fish sauce, basil) make great counterpoints to the pleasantly chewy squid, and the tingling heat keeps you wanting more. (We used only one serrano, as ours was large, but if you like spice, by all means use two.) The wilted greens, which char lightly on their first pass in the wok, still retain a little crunch and soak up all the tangy juices -- we couldn't stop sneaking back to the pan for extra forkfuls. - A&M - A&M
Serves 2-4
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound squid, bodies and tentacles, cleaned and sliced into ½ inch rings (frozen is fine)
- 1.5 pounds greens, such as bok choy
- 2 serrano chiles, finely diced (we used 1)
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 3/4" piece ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 bunch basil, about 1 ounce (three large stems or 1 cup lightly packed)
- Heat a wok over medium-high heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When smoking hot, sauté the greens until wilted about 5 minutes, set aside.
- Add a little more olive oil to the wok, add the serrano chiles, garlic, and ginger. Add the squid and cook about 2 minutes.
- Mix the fish sauce, brown sugar, and lime. Add the fish sauce mixture and cooked greens, toss in the basil leaves and sauté until the basil is wilted.
- Serve over brown rice, or barley, which acts as a sponge to soak up the juices created during the cooking process.
- Your Best Squid or Octopus Recipe Contest Finalist!
More Great Recipes
Share a Recipe
Enter one of our contests, or share that great thing you made for dinner last night.
Add a Recipe
20 days ago GSmodden
I made this last night, but the squid released a lot of water, even though I used fresh squid. And then it took a while to reduce, even on high heat...and I didn't want the squid to get tough. So, my dish, while still very tasty, had a lot of soupy sauce...which I sopped up with rice. Can I do something in the future to avoid so much liquid?
20 days ago nowarmsoda
make sure your pan is really hot, and don't crowd it, do it in batches if you have to.
see this timely post in NYT from last week:
http://www.nytimes.com...
20 days ago GSmodden
Good tips! Thanks. I definitely crowded.
about 1 month ago AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Taking this one in a vegan direction tonight (except that I'll use fish sauce, though I may try using doenjang instead) substituting dry pan-fried tofu cubes for the squid. Will use yu choy and flat-leaved Chinese mustard; plan to make lacto-fermented pickles with the stems, flavored with scallions and rice vinegar (thanks to BeijingRose, who provided inspiration and instructions in a comment exchange re her red-braised pork belly recipe, posted here recently). Will serve over barley. Love this recipe, which has become quite a favorite in my house, of late. ;o)
2 months ago nowarmsoda
This is almost exactly the same recipe as Mark Bittman's, with the exception of the fish sauce.
http://query.nytimes.com...
2 months ago AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Actually, the addition of ginger, lime juice and brown sugar, with the nam pla (fish sauce), with basil as a garnish, makes this dish quite a bit better than the Minimalist recipe. ;o)
8 months ago AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Made this without the squid as a side dish with Thaifoodie's Thai Fish Cakes. Great recipe - a real keeper!! ;o)
8 months ago littlesister
Just made this tonight and it was great! I used beet and turnip greens because that's what I had and only had to buy the squid. Followed the recipe exactly (but substituted chili sauce for the pepper) and really loved it. The sauce/garlic/ginger/basil combo seems very versatile and I'll be sure to keep it in mind when making other stir-fries. Thanks for posting!
about 1 year ago Rogan
I made this last night with shrimp instead of squid and lemon instead of lime. It was so easy and so flavorful!! I also added some fresh mint and fresh scallions at the end just because I had them. I also omitted the sugar and added a dash of toasted sesame oil. My fiance was impressed. Thank you!
over 1 year ago charlotte au chocolat
I picked up some squid at the Farmer's Market this morning, and was searching for a way to cook it that wasn't deep-fried or tomato-based. The green-centric photo caught my eye, and I made a version of this, substituting for what I had on hand: broccoli and brussel sprouts for the greens, lemon for the lime, soy for the fish sauce, left out the chiles and the basil. It was super delicious- thank you!
over 1 year ago bpfox
This was outstanding and so, so easy!
over 1 year ago melissav
Finally made this and it is delicious (and easy). Definitely a keeper.
over 1 year ago HelenfromNM
I made this this evening; spinach & kale; chicken instead of squid; couldn't find my brown sugar (I know I have some!) so used white. Made a half recipe using 1/2 a jalpeno. Incredible delicious!
almost 2 years ago ColoradoCook
This was lovely! Such a great flavor profile and so versatile. I've already made a few times substituting shrimp and pork for the original squid. I also like throwing a bunch of soba noodles in the pan as an alternative to rice. Delicious and easy - doesn't get better than that! Thank you!
about 2 years ago chefplerl
The picture looks scrumptious. I like the simplicity of the recipe, and it sounds like a great balance of spice. I'll be trying this one at home.
about 2 years ago ChefMommy
I am thinking of making this for my mom. I am not usually a seafood person but I learned to try everything, so I am interested. I am not sure where I could find squid but this has definitely made me want to find it. Can't wait to try it. Thanks for sharing and congrats on being a finalist.
about 2 years ago Chef Rick
Sounds really good and I like how easy and fast it is to prepare. The spices and seasonings will give this dish balance and good flavor. I plan to definitely find out where I can purchase squid in my hometown. I look forward to making this very soon and think the Asian flavor will be great!
about 2 years ago bigpan
Very nice as a hot summer salad. I like using the rule for squid - cook for 2 minutes or less; or, more than 2 hours (stew) in order to keep tender. Also, I like a quick pan fry and not using a deep fry method for health reasons. A bit of gai lan can add some body to the greens. Love the lime too! You got my vote.
about 2 years ago cookinginvictoria
Congratulations on being a finalist! I have never made stir fried squid before, but that is about to change. I look forward to trying this very creative recipe. Love the flavor profile with all of the Asian seasonings. Looks wonderful.
about 2 years ago FrancesRenHuang
congrats! wonderful recipe.
about 2 years ago hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour is a trusted home cook.
Congrats, this sounds delicious and seems ridiculously quick and easy to make!
about 2 years ago Panfusine
Congratulations on the finalist pick!
about 2 years ago VanessaS
Congratulations - looks great!