The Catch of the Day

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The warm waters off Southern California's coast have become an ideal home to squid, making the soft-bodied invertebrates the unexpected backbone of California's fishing industry, bringing in more than $230 million in the last decade.

The squid are a seemingly easy catch -- lacking the drama of salmon, crab and tuna fishing, which requires fishermen to brave the elements of the deep ocean.  Pairs of fishing boats bring up the catch close to the coastline, with one boat providing the massive bright lights that lure the squid to the surface at night and the second boat netting the catch and taking it to processing. 

The good news is that there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.  A fast-growing population, squid are a constantly renewing resource, unlike other marine life whose numbers are dwindling or whose harvesting poses a threat to other marine life.

In January, food writer Russ Parsons boarded the Donz Rig, a 42-foot boat owned by squid fishermen Don Brockman, and his father, Donald Sr.  He shares that experience in an article for the Los Angeles Times and with us, including the following recipes.

A food writer for the Los Angeles Times, Russ Parsons has won several journalism awards, including the Bert Greene Award and two James Beard Awards. He's also the author of How to Pick a Peach and How to Read a French Fry: And Other Stories of Intriguing Kitchen Science.

Sausage-stuffed squid braised with tomatoes and potatoes
Total time: About 1 hour, 10 minutes
Servings: 4 to 6

3/4 pound fingerling or other small potatoes
1/3 pound Italian sausage (about 1 link)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Minced parsley
1 egg
12 squid tubes (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/3 cup white wine
2 cups chopped canned tomatoes and juice
2 tablespoons capers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces and place in a pot of simmering water fitted with a steamer or rack. Steam until tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Remove the sausage meat from the skin and crumble it into a mixing bowl. Add the bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon parsley and beat together with a wooden spoon until well mixed. It will form a pretty tight ball. Add the egg and continue mixing until the egg is well incorporated. The mixture will loosen up a lot.

3. Fill the squid tubes with the sausage mixture. You can do this with your fingers or with a small spoon, but by far the easiest way is to use a pastry bag. Fill the squid no more than half full; the mixture will expand during cooking. Depending on the size of the squid, there may be some sausage mixture left over. Seal the openings with toothpicks.

4. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is quite hot, add the stuffed squid and cook on both sides until the surface begins to color, about 2 minutes total.

5. Remove the squid to a plate and keep warm. Empty all but about 1 tablespoon of the oil from the skillet, leaving behind any browned bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.

6. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until it's fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add crushed red pepper flakes and the wine and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to free any of those browned bits. Cook until the wine reduces to a syrup, about 5 minutes.

7. Add the tomatoes and juice and cook until they begin to thicken, about 3 minutes. Add the capers and season with salt and pepper.

8. Return the squid to the pan, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer gently 15 minutes. Add the cooked potatoes, replace the lid, and simmer until the squid can be easily pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes more.

9. Spoon into warmed broad soup or pasta bowls and sprinkle with more parsley. Remove toothpicks and serve immediately.

Each of 6 servings: 275 calories; 17 grams protein; 24 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 11 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 220 mg. cholesterol; 382 mg. sodium.


Fried squid
Total time: About 1 hour
Servings: 4

Note: This recipe is adapted from Esca chef David Pasternack's forthcoming book, The Young Man and the Sea.

6 cups olive oil
2 cups canola oil
3/4 cup Wondra flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/3 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cleaned squid, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced and 1 cut into wedges

1. Combine the oils in a deep pot. The oil should be 8 inches deep; if it's not, add more canola oil to bring it to that depth. Set the pot over medium heat and bring the oil to 275o.

2. While the oil is heating, combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper in a wide mixing bowl.

3. Dredge the squid and the lemon slices, 4 to 6 pieces at a time, in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess flour before gently lowering the pieces into the hot oil. The pieces should bubble and sizzle but not splatter; lower or raise the flame accordingly. Cook until they are golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the temperature and do not let it rise above 280o.

4. Use a slotted spoon to transfer squid and lemon slices to a paper-towel-lined tray. Season with more salt and pepper while the pieces are still hot out of the oil. Serve hot, garnished with the lemon wedges.

Each serving: 300 calories; 19 grams protein; 20 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 15 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 264 mg. cholesterol; 286 mg. sodium.


Squid salad with shaved fennel and arugula
Total time: About 45 minutes
Servings: 4 to 6

1/4 cup pine nuts
1 pound cleaned squid
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons minced fennel fronds
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 bulbs fennel
4 cups arugula

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

2. Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. While it is heating, prepare the squid. Cut the section of tentacles in half lengthwise so that you have two bunches of tentacles still attached at the base. Slice each tube along one side lengthwise, so that you can open it out flat. When you spread the tube open, it will look like a triangle. Cut each triangle in half lengthwise, and then crosswise in roughly 2-inch sections. Using a very sharp knife, lightly score the surface of each section in a crosshatch pattern, cutting into but not through the flesh. Alternatively, simply cut the tubes in half-inch rings.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, fennel fronds and salt.

4. Blanch the squid in the boiling water, about a quarter at a time. Cook until the squid curls up, firms and becomes opaque, about 20 to 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon or wire skimmer and immediately place in the dressing. Repeat until all squid has been cooked and is in dressing.

5. Cut each fennel bulb in quarters lengthwise and trim out the solid core in the center. Slice crosswise as thinly as possible and add the fennel to the dressing. (The recipe can be prepared to this point several hours in advance and refrigerated tightly covered.)

6. When ready to serve, add the arugula to the squid and fennel and toss to combine. Divide evenly among 4 to 6 chilled plates and scatter pine nuts over the top. Serve immediately.

Each serving: 252 calories; 15 grams protein; 10 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 18 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 176 mg. cholesterol; 549 mg. sodium.

Recipes reprinted courtesy of the Los Angeles Times.