Braised Squid in Savory Tomato Sauce

Here’s the thing about squid. If you don’t want it be turn out all chewy and rubbery it has to be cooked quickly or braised over a long period of time. I’ve ordered braised squid out at restaurants but this was my first time making it at home and it turned out great! It was very tender, almost buttery in consistency.

I’ll start with the recipe. Below that I’ve got pictures showing what I did along the way.

You’ll need a large skillet or frying pan that has a lid. I used a cast iron skillet. Heat the skillet over medium high heat. Add just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the celery, carrot and onion. Cook until soft but not brown. Add everything else EXCEPT the squid. Let simmer for 5 minutes and then add the calamari. Reduce heat and cover. Let it simmer for 30 minutes. Test the squid to see if it’s tender. It should be. If not, just let it keep simmering and check again in 10 minutes. At this point, add salt if needed.

Serve immediately.

Make sure it’s free of any hard bits, the cartilage.

The vegetables really add nice flavor to the sauce.

Don’t worry if it doesn’t look like there’s a lot of liquid in the pan. As the squid braises, you’ll get more liquid.

I made this as an appetizer when our friends John and Hilary came over. I served it right from the cast iron pan and we sopped up the juice with baguette slices. Next time I might just make this and serve with pasta instead. It was soooooo good. Two thumbs up!