It is interesting how we develop tastes for different foods. At
some point in our lives, we may say that we do not like something,
but have not actually tried it. For some, they may be nervous about
trying something new.
It is interesting how we develop tastes for different foods. At some point in our lives, we may say that we do not like something, but have not actually tried it. For some, they may be nervous about trying something new. For others, they perceive they may not like something. And for a very few, they had a negative experience with a food item and swore it off forever. Overcoming these biases can become a memorable adventure. One memorable adventure is when I tried squid for the first time.
There are times my grandmother says to me, “For someone who writes about food, you can be picky.” This is true for a few items. Just because one person may like a particular item, it does not hold true for another person. For instance, pig’s feet do not sound appetizing. There are some Italian-American families that add pig’s feet to their tomato sauce to give it a different flavor. Some of those families remove the feet while others eat the meat. My palate can tell the difference between plain tomato sauce and tomato sauce made with pig’s feet.
It has a unique flavor that tastes like unflavored gelatin. My family cannot get enough of “pigs feet gravy” and they can’t understand why I don’t like it. It becomes one of those “you don’t know what you are missing” moments.
For a long time, I was absolutely repulsed by squid. With my Italian and Croatian heritage, you would think that I would like squid. Nope. Growing up, my family would eat squid for their meal and I would eat something else. I don’t remember if I thought they were slimy, looked weird or what. All I knew is that I didn’t want to eat it despite “not knowing what I was missing.” As I got older, my tastes would change and I would become a little more daring.
I was visiting Sacramento when I decided to try squid for the first time. My mom made the winning bid on an auction item at a fundraiser. The item was for a private tour of the state capitol and two tickets to our local representatives fundraiser that evening. Since the representative’s district also encompasses Gilroy, some of the Garlic Festival cooks were on hand. They were preparing some of their world famous foods, including their sauteed squid.
Being a little open minded and ready for a surprised reaction from my mom, I decided to take a few pieces of squid from the buffet. I was nervous with my first bite, but it wasn’t too bad. Not knowing what the texture would be like, I thought it was a little chewy. It turned out that I just had a bad piece and my mom gave me a better one. The point is that I decided to try it.
As the years passed, I developed a fondness for squid. I found it was very easy to prepare the squid steaks and pre-cut rings. I have not attempted to clean a whole squid yet. That is another hurdle.
Needing inspiration for a subject this week, I searched through a variety of cookbooks. I came across “The International Squid Cookbook” by Isaac Cronin. In part of the cookbook, Cronin encourages people to try squid.
The book is very informative and contains everything you would expect in a squid cookbook and more. Cronin details the squid anatomy, varieties and fishing for squid. He also outlines how to make the daunting task of cleaning squid a bit more simple. Recipes are grouped into the categories of American, the Mediterranean and Asian. There are a few methods for grilled squid too.
After looking through the recipes, one in particular jumped out at me. The recipe was for squid sate. I knew of chicken sate and beef sate, a classic dish of Thailand.
If you are looking to overcome your perceived dislike of squid, this recipe for squid sate is a great way to do it. The flavors are typical of Thai cooking and mask a little of the squid flavor. Pair this dish with simple steamed rice and a variety of stir fried vegetables. If you try this recipe for grilled squid sate, you may find out “what you are missing,” too.
Squid Sate: Barbecued Squid with Hot Dipping Sauce
(From “The International Squid Cookbook” by Isaac Cronin; serves 4-6)
2 pounds of squid, cleaned and cut into rings
1 cup coconut milk
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
6 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons peanuts, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Cayenne to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
Step 1: Coconut milk is easily made if you have a blender or food processor. Boil 1-1/2 cups of water. Pour it over 1-1/2 cups of fresh or dry grated coconut. Beat it in the blender or food processor for at least 1 minute. Strain it though a sieve or cheesecloth. Marinate the squid for 1 hour in coconut milk to which you have added the garlic.
Step 2: To make the dipping sauce, which makes this dish so distinctive, combine the fish sauce, peanuts, sugar, limejuice and the cayenne.
Step 3: After the rings have been threaded onto skewers, grill the squid about 3 minutes on each side.
When brown, turn over and barbecue for 3 minutes more. Serve accompanied by the dipping sauce.
