Pan-Seared Squid with Onions

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you sear squid with onions? Gather all your ingredients. Today I'm cooking them on a grill pan — the squid come out with pretty grill marks, soak up less oil, and are much easier to handle. But if you don't have one, a regular nonstick skillet works perfectly fine.

2. Step 2:

   

   Peel the onions and cut them into quarters. Put them in a bowl, salt them, and add a little vegetable oil. Toss gently so the quarters stay intact. Use any onions you like — the more varieties, the more interesting the dish looks and tastes.

3. Step 3:

   

   I prefer to buy cleaned squid tubes, but even those need proper prep before searing. Many people have had a squid tube shrink and shrivel during cooking — that's caused by a thin membrane, which you need to remove. Catch it with your fingernails and peel it off without tearing the tube. Do the same on the inside by turning the tube inside out.

4. Step 4:

   

   Salt and pepper the tubes and squeeze lime juice over them, then turn them right-side out again. I don't recommend salting and peppering them on the outside — after cooking they'll look dirty, as if bits of char have stuck all over the surface.

5. Step 5:

   

   Pour vegetable oil into the grill pan and add one or two sprigs of thyme (you can use dried rosemary instead). Peel and cut the garlic and tuck it between the ridges.

6. Step 6:

   

   Set the pan over medium heat and warm the oil for 1 to 2 minutes, until it's hot and picking up the aromatics. Slide the thyme and garlic to two edges of the pan and lay in the squid. Press them down with a grill press — or another clean, heavy pan if you don't have one — so they pick up those characteristic grill marks.

7. Step 7:

   

   Remove the thyme sprigs and sear each side for 3 to 4 minutes. Don't leave the squid on too long, or they'll turn rubbery — and there's no fixing that.

8. Step 8:

   

   Once you've taken the squid off the grill pan, add the prepared onions. Fry them over lower heat for 5 to 7 minutes, turning once. Add other vegetables if you like — I threw in some baby carrots and radishes. Add the fried vegetables to the squid and serve.

9. Step 9:

   

   Enjoy!