Recipe: Stuffed Squid

Name: Stuffed Squid
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 8 beautiful cleaned emptied squid; 3 smaller ones to make the stuffing; 1 egg; 1 lemon juice; some flat parsley; 2 cloves garlic (degerminated crushed and chopped); 4 anchovy fillets thinned with oil; 2 tomatoes blanched (skin removed) seeded and cut into small cubes; 0.8 cup (20 cl) dry white wine; 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs; olive oil; salt and ground pepper

By chef patrick Asfaux 5/5 (12 reviews) · 🍳 13 made it

Recipe Stuffed Squid - Chef Patrick Asfaux — Photo: Aftouch-cuisine

Prep 30 min

Cook 35 min

Total 1h05

Servings 8 serv.

Stuffed squid called "à la Chalvinade" This is a coastal Provençal dish, cooked this way since the 18th century with anchovies and wild herbs. Chalvinade comes from Marseille, where fishermen stuffed their squid with leftover catch of the day. Salted anchovies and wild herbs acted as natural preservatives before returning to port.

Ingredients for 8 servings

Adjust for

servings

8 beautiful cleaned emptied squid
3 smaller ones to make the stuffing
1 egg
1 lemon juice
some flat parsley
2 cloves garlic (degerminated crushed and chopped)
4 anchovy fillets thinned with oil
2 tomatoes blanched (skin removed) seeded and cut into small cubes
0.8 cup (20 cl) dry white wine
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
olive oil
salt and ground pepper

Step-by-step directions

1 Remove the tentacles and cut them into very small pieces as well as the 3 small squid reserved for the stuffing. add the lemon juice.

2 Chop together the flat parsley, garlic, anchovy filets and finally with the breadcrumbs.

3 Place this mixture (chopped squid + your blend) in a bowl then add the egg, salt lightly (because of the anchovies) pepper and keep refrigerated and covered for 1 hour.

4 Using a spoon fill your squid 3/4 full with your stuffing. bend the end of the squid and keep them closed using wooden toothpicks.

5 In a sauté pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil then place your squid. after 5 minutes turn them over carefully, add the white wine and cook gently covered for 15 minutes

6 Then add the tomato cubes salt and pepper and extend the cooking uncovered for another 12 minutes.

You can accompany your stuffed squid with a little pilaf rice, quinoa or even a small garlic mashed potatoes and serve with it a glass of well chilled rosé bandol, pure bliss!

A chef's advice

Fill the squid only three-quarters full: the filling expands about 20% during the first 15 minutes of cooking and will overflow otherwise. Seal the end with wooden toothpicks (never metal, which conducts heat) to prevent leakage.

Frequently asked questions

Can I replace the anchovy fillets with something else?

Anchovies provide the salty backbone of the stuffing. You can swap them for a spoon of anchovy paste, or use 2 teaspoons soy sauce plus a touch of miso, but the result shifts. Honestly, keep the anchovies: that's the signature.

How do I seal the squid properly without the filling leaking out?

Fill them only three-quarters full, no more. Fold the tip inward firmly and hold with two wooden toothpicks crossed. During cooking the filling swells slightly: too tight and it bursts, too loose and it leaks. Test: press gently with your finger to feel the tension.

Can I prep the squid in advance and cook them the same day?

Yes, that's the whole point of the stuffing. Stuff them in the morning, cover tightly in the fridge with plastic wrap. Cook in the evening: cold squid hold better. From the next day, keep leftovers max 2 days, cold, and reheat gently covered in a 150°C oven with a splash of water.