Squid with Three Chiles

This quick and simple dish of squid fried with garlic and chillies is from Mexico: The Cookbook by Margarita Carrillo Arronte in which author Margarita Carrillo Arronte shares the culture, geography, agriculture and cuisine of Mexico through over 700 recipes. The key flavours in this dish come from the three types of chillies used – mulato, pasilla and ancho.

Read our full review of Mexico: The Cookbook here.

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Squid with Three Chiles (Calamares a Los Tres Chiles)

Hailing from Central Mexico this simple fried squid recipe calls on three different chillies to provide their distinctive flavours. 

Servings 6 servings

Author Margarita Carrillo Arronte

Ingredients

• 800 g (1¾ lb) squid, cleaned
• 4 tbs olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 mulato chile, membrane and seeds removed and sliced
• 1 pasilla chile, membrane and seeds removed and sliced
• 1 ancho chile, membrane and seeds removed and sliced
• sea salt and pepper
• White rice, to serve

Notes

Preparation time: 15 minutes | Cooking time: 10 minutes

Instructions

• Separate the body and the tentacles of the squid. Score the body in a crosscross pattern and leave the tentacles whole.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan or skillet over medium heat, add the garlic and chiles, and sauté for 1–2 minutes. Do not let them burn. Remove the mixture from the pan and set aside. Add the squid to the pan, increase the heat to high, and cook for 1 minute on one side, turn, and then cook for an additional minute, until firm and cooked through. Return the garlic and chile mixture to the pan, stir, and serve with white rice.

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Kavey Eats received a review copy of Mexico: The Cookbook by Margarita Carrillo Arrontefollow (RRP £29.95) from publisher Phaidon. Photography by Fiamma Piacentini-Huff.