Salt and Pepper Squid

• 1 lb squid tubes and tentacles, cleaned and patted very dry
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground white pepper
• 3 cups neutral oil, for deep frying
• 3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and sliced into thin rings
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 3 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt, for finishing toss
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper, for finishing toss
• cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)

1. 1

   Score the inside of each squid tube with a shallow crosshatch pattern, then cut into 1½-inch pieces. Leave tentacles whole. The scoring helps them curl beautifully and cook evenly, but cut shallow — if you slice through the flesh it'll fall apart in the oil.

2. 2

   Whisk the cornstarch, rice flour, baking powder, salt, and white pepper in a wide bowl. The rice flour is what gives you that glass-like crunch that cornstarch alone can't match.

3. 3

   Toss the dried squid pieces in the flour mixture until evenly coated, then shake off every bit of excess in a sieve. Excess coating turns into paste in the oil and ruins the crunch — be ruthless about shaking it off.

4. 4

   Heat the oil in a wok or deep pot to 375°F. The oil has to be properly hot or you'll get greasy, pale squid. Test with a piece of coating — it should sizzle violently and float within 2 seconds.

5. 5

   Fry the squid in two batches, about 90 seconds per batch, until light gold and crisp. It cooks fast and overcooks even faster, so pull it out the moment the tentacle tips crisp and the tubes curl tight. Drain on paper towels.

6. 6

   Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of oil and get the wok screaming hot again. Toss in the jalapeños and garlic and stir for about 8 seconds — the garlic can go from golden to burnt in the time it takes to reach for your spatula, so have the scallions ready to throw in immediately.

7. 7

   Add the scallions, then immediately return the squid to the wok. Toss everything together for another 5 seconds, sprinkling the coarse salt and white pepper over the top as you toss.

8. 8

   Turn it out onto a plate immediately and scatter the cilantro sprigs over the top. Every second it sits in the hot wok past this point, the crust softens — you want it from wok to plate in under 10 seconds.

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