Strange though it might sound, this is another of my supper standbys. I keep the frozen squid in the deep freeze, taking it out in the morning at breakfast to let it thaw in time for the evening’s meal.

I prefer to eat a massive amount of this, and nothing else, rather than have it more meanly as a starter, unless I’m expecting company, in which case it can happily stretch to four people, ready to dunk each crisp piece of squid into the garlic mayonnaise over predinner drinks.

Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a starter

250ml groundnut oil, or as needed, depending on size of pan
500g frozen squid (tubes and tentacles)
2 x 15ml tbsp cornflour
4 x 15ml tbsp semolina
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning (or you can use 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp paprika)

For the garlic mayonnaise:
½ clove garlic
100g best-quality mayonnaise (preferably organic)

Method

1 Heat the oil in a smallish saucepan and, while it’s left to warm up, cut the thawed squid into 1cm rings.

2 Put the cornflour, semolina and seasoning into a plastic freezer bag.

3 Add the squid rings and tentacles and then toss to coat.

4 When the oil is hot enough (when it sizzles fiercely when you drop in a small cube of bread) fry the squid in batches to get the most golden crunchiness. A couple of minutes per batch is all you should need.

5 Grate or crush the garlic into the mayonnaise, stir to mix, and then serve alongside the fried squid.

© Nigella Lawson 2007 Nigella Express: Good Food Fast, Chatto & Windus, published on September 6 at £25 (£22 from Times BooksFirst 0870 1608080)

Read The Times Magazine’s interview with Nigella, and find other recipes here

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