BLANCHED CALAMARI WITH TUNA SAUCE & OLIVES

SERVES 4-6

This salad borrows a technique from SouthEast Asia. I was inspired by blanched squid, cooked in a hot and spicy dressing with herbs. This version strongly veers in an Italian direction. It’s important that your saucepan is large, so when you add the squid it starts boiling almost immediately, as it’s a very quick, hot blanch. 1 red or white onion, peeled 700g cleaned small squid, wings on,

tentacles cut into pairs

1 quantity tuna mayonnaise (recipe

follows)

2 lemons, segmented and diced (squeeze and reserve the juice from the membranes)

1 tbs small capers

2 long green chillies, finely sliced into

rounds

10 semi-dried or Kalamata olives,

pitted and torn

1 handful mint leaves and fennel

fronds (optional)

2 tsp fennel seeds, roughly ground,

or fennel pollen

Extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Using a mandoline, finely slice onion into rounds. Soak in cold water for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large heavy-based saucepan of salted water to a rolling boil. Blanch squid (in batches if needed, to maintain the heat) for 40 seconds. Refresh in cold water and drain very well. Finely slice the hoods crossways.

Spoon tuna mayonnaise onto a serving plate, then arrange squid over the top. Pat onion dry and scatter over the squid. Top with lemon segments and juice, capers, chilli and olives. Scatter herbs and fennel seeds over, season with salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle generously with oil before serving.

PAIR WITH Plenty of bread, to mop up every last bit of that sauce.

TUNA MAYONNAISE

Using a mortar and pestle, finely grind 2 tsp fennel seeds. Add 1 garlic clove and grind to a paste with a little bit of salt flakes. Transfer to a food processor. Drain 185g tin tuna in oil, add to the food processor and blitz until crumb-like in texture. Add 160g good-quality wholeegg mayonnaise and blitz until smooth. If necessary, add a little more mayonnaise to achieve a thick sauce-like consistency. Mix in the juice of 1/2 lemon, then season to taste. The mayonnaise will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Makes about 500g (2 cups).