Squid with Caramelised Onion

Calamari con Cipolla

Ingredients

• 850 gm fresh whole local squid (cleaned after buying, incl tentacles and wings – see below for cleaning steps)
• ½ cup olive oil
• 3 lge while onions, thickly sliced (1 ½ cm)
• 1 fresh red chilli, sliced
• ½ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped (for cooking)
• Sml handful fresh Italian parsley, chopped (for serving)
• 3 fresh ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 tsp cooking salt

Method – Clean and Prepare Squids

1. After a quick rinse of the squid under running tap water, place all squid in a large bowl of fresh tap water. 
2. Prepare a second (2^nd) bowl of fresh water, add a couple of large handfuls of ice blocks, 1 small lemon thickly sliced and 1 tablespoon of cooking salt.
3. Pick up and hold one squid over the bowl of squid, then grasp the squid tail in one hand and the head in the other. Firmly pull apart with a slight twisting motion. The head and innards should easily slip out of the body.
4. The squid head and innards have now been removed from the squid body tube.
5. The tentacles (from the eyes up) and the body tube itself are edible. On a chopping board, place your knife just behind the eyes of the squid and cut straight down.
6. Discard the head/eyes and the innards. 
7. If you plan on eating the squid tentacles, you must remove the beak. The beak is a bony piece of inedible cartilage. It is located at the base of the tentacles where they connect to the head of the squid.
8. Once removed, place the tentacles in the 2^nd bowl of iced water.
9. Now that the head and tentacles are removed from the squid, the tail or tube portion remains. The tail tube portion contains a thin, clear sliver of cartilage. The cartilage almost looks like a super-thin shard of glass/plastic. It is inedible and must be removed.
10. Simply grasp the cartilage with your fingers and pull it from the squid body tube. It should release fairly easily. Discard the cartilage.
11. Although the dark, spotty skin of the squid is edible, most choose to remove it for a more appealing presentation. The skin will easily separate from the flesh. Do this by pulling the outer skin away from the tube with your fingers, making sure not to puncture the tube.
12. Also, during this process, carefully pull away the wings from the tube and keep to cook later.   Remove a very thin strip of the wing where it was attached to the tube, as it may be a little gristly.  Then place the wings in the 2^nd bowl of iced water.
13. Now thoroughly and carefully wash the inside of the squid body tube in the same bowl with all the other squid, using your finger to pull out any residual innards, making sure not to tear the tube.
14. Once cleaned, place tube into the 2^nd bowl of iced water.
15. Repeat process until all squid are prepared and placed in the 2^nd bowl of iced water.
16. With all squid now in 2^nd bowl of iced water, give the squid a final rub and clean and set aside for the recipe.

Method

1. Prepare and clean the whole squid and tentacles – (steps noted above or ask your fishmonger to prepare for you and let them know you want to keep the tentacles and wings too).
2. Note – this recipe deserves fresh squid purchased from your fresh fishmonger, in other words, do not use pre-prepared or packaged squid tubes seen in supermarkets or some fish shops.
3. Slice cleaned squid in half, lengthways, (once cut, check it’s clean of any sand) then cut into strips (2-3 cm wide), set aside in a clean dry bowl.
4. Heat the oil in a medium to large deepish frypan.
5. On a medium-high heat, add the onions and chilli, and fry for 5-10 minutes or until the onions are softened, stirring often.
6. Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 3 minutes.
7. On a high heat, add the prepared squid, tentacles, and wings, stirring thoroughly while cooking, for 2 minutes.
8. Add the parsley, salt, and stir through.
9. Reduce the heat to a rapid simmer, place the lid half on, allowing the steam to escape.
10. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring regularly.
11. When cooked, the liquid will have reduced, and the squid will be tender and sweet.
12. Just before serving sprinkle with the remainder of the chopped parsley.