Yes, small tender ones are lovely cooked in this way. Buy 500 grams or so for 4 people.
It’s a good idea to cook this seafood in a foil tray, with holes in it, on top of the barbecue grill. Otherwise it’s likely to fall through your grill into the fire (it still tastes ok when it does this but it’s a bit messy to haul it all out and not very professional!)
Before your barbecue picnic, prepare the squid (unless this is already done – see below) as follows:
- Reach inside the tubular body and pull out the head, tentacles and innards.
- Pull off and discard the body’s mottled skin (often this has been already done, which leaves it white)
- Feel inside the body for the long piece of transparent cartilage or quill. Pull it out carefully and discard.
- Wash inside and out under cold running water and then pull away the two flaps.
- Cut the tentacles from the head. Discard the head, containing the entrails. (keep the ink sac if you want to use this later for a sauce for pasta or risotto)
You'll often be able to buy it prepared up to this stage. Then all you have to do is:
- slit the body on one side and open it out to give two pieces.
- Using a sharp knife, score it lightly on the inside (if you score it on the outside, it won't curl properly) and make sure you don’t cut all the way through it. ,br>
- Score each one diagonally in one direction, then do the same in the other direction, to give small diamond shapes.
Dry the squid and tentacles with kitchen paper and lightly brush all the pieces with oil.
Now barbecue it all in the foil tray, over really hot embers, for 1-2 minutes, turning until lightly charred.
Cook in batches if the tray is not big enough and make sure it’s really hot. If it takes too long to cook, it’ll be tough, rubbery and not very appetising!
If cooked quickly, it should curl up prettily and the tentacles kind of frizzle up and get crispy so the two parts complement each other well.
Barbecued squid is lovely served with a chilli sauce and a peppery salad of rocket or
watercress.
