Salt And Pepper Baby Squid - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 3/4 lbs whole baby squid
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp sea salt flakes
None None Vegetable oil, to deep-fry
2 None birds-eye chili peppers, thinly sliced
None None Cilantro leaves, lime wedges, to serve

Preparation

Rinse squid under cold running water. Gently pull tentacles to separate heads from bodies. Remove and discard intestines and quills from bodies. Remove and discard heads and beaks from tentacles, cutting just below eyes so tentacles remain in one piece. Rinse bodies and tentacles under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towel.
Cut bodies along one side and lay flat. Using a sharp knife, make shallow diagonal cuts on inside surface of bodies to create a crisscross pattern. Cut into 2 x 1-inch pieces. Combine cornstarch, pepper and salt in a bowl. Dust squid in batches in cornstarch mixture, shaking off excess.
Pour enough oil into a medium saucepan to a depth of 2 inches. Heat on medium-high heat to 350\u00b0F (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 30 seconds). Fry squid in batches for 2 mins, until light golden. Drain on paper towels.
Divide squid among paper cones or pile onto a large platter. Top with chili peppers and cilantro and season with pepper. Serve with lime wedges.