Serves 4 as a snack · Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min
This is the snack that disappears first at any lime (Guyanese for hanging out with friends). The squid rings get a light, crackly coat and a very short fry, which keeps them tender. The dip is a creamy mix of mayo and pepper sauce with a hit of lime.
Ingredients
For the squid
- 1 lb / 450 g Squid Rings (half a 2 lb pack), thawed
- 1 cup milk, for soaking
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
- Vegetable oil, for deep frying
- Lime wedges, to serve
For the pepper sauce dip
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1–2 tsp Guyanese pepper sauce, to taste
- 1 small clove garlic, grated
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp chopped shado beni (culantro) or cilantro
Method
- Thaw and soak. Thaw the rings in the fridge (0–4 °C) overnight. Soak them in the milk for 15 minutes to keep them tender, then drain and pat very dry.
- Make the dip. Stir all the dip ingredients together. Taste, add more pepper sauce if you like, then chill until serving.
- Mix the coating. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, pepper and paprika together in a bowl.
- Coat. Toss the rings in the coating a handful at a time, then shake off the excess in a sieve.
- Fry fast. Heat the oil to 180 °C / 350 °F. Fry in small batches for 1½–2 minutes only, until pale golden and crisp. Frying any longer turns squid rubbery.
- Serve hot. Drain on a rack, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and serve right away with the dip and lime wedges.
Cook's note: No thermometer? Drop in one ring. It's ready when it rises and sizzles steadily straight away.
