Stuffed Squid Sicilian-Style
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 12ounces chard or spinach, chopped, about 6 cups
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1large onion, finely diced, about 1½ cups
- 2medium fennel bulbs, finely diced, about 1½ cups
- Salt and pepper
- 3tablespoons chopped fennel fronds
- 2teaspoons ground fennel seed
- 4anchovy fillets, chopped
- 4garlic cloves, minced
- 1teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch of crushed red pepper
- ¼cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
- 1tablespoon lemon zest
- ¾cup homemade dry bread crumbs
- 2ounces grated pecorino cheese, about ¼ cup
- 1½pounds cleaned medium squid, with tentacles
- 2tablespoons chopped parsley, for garnish
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
306 calories; 13 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 26 grams protein; 608 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Make the filling: Blanch the chard in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and cool under running water. Squeeze chard completely dry and finely chop. Set aside.
- Step 2
Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or wide saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and fennel, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened and lightly colored, about 10 minutes.
- Step 3
Add fennel fronds, fennel seed, anchovy, garlic, oregano and red pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes more.
- Step 4
Turn off heat and transfer mixture to a mixing bowl. Add pine nuts, lemon zest, bread crumbs, cheese and reserved cooked chard. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Taste and correct seasoning.
- Step 5
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Using a teaspoon, put some filling in each squid body, taking care not to overstuff. Place stuffed squid in an earthenware baking dish in one layer. Season squid on both sides with salt and pepper and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season tentacles with salt and pepper and arrange them around the edge of dish (alternatively, arrange tentacles in a separate baking dish). Drizzle tentacles lightly with oil. Spoon any remaining stuffing over tentacles.
- Step 6
Roast uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until squid bodies are puffed, sizzling and lightly browned. If desired, run pan under the broiler for more color. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges. (May also be served at room temperature.) Serve each person 3 or 4 squid, with tentacles.
Tips
- You may make the stuffing up to 1 day in advance. Squid may be stuffed up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before roasting.
- With this zesty, earthy, herbal dish, I’d look for a bright white that would both refresh and amplify its flavors. The Sicilian notes of the stuffing immediately suggest a regional match, like an Etna Bianco, made largely out of the carricante grape, which is simultaneously juicy and savory. Many other whites would do well, too, from good examples of well-known wines like Soave, vermentino or albariño to more idiosyncratic bottles like the rich, ripe vespaiolo of the Veneto region of Italy or the unusual blends made by the Monastero Suore Cistercensi, sisters of a Cistercian monastery in the Lazio region outside Rome. You may also reach for a fino sherry, one of many brut sparklers or a good dry rosé with substance. ERIC ASIMOV
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
MP
I am not a fan of anise flavor, and didn't love the flavor of the stuffing before it baked, but the final product was unbelievably delicious. I ended up stuffing the squid using my hands - the spoon was just too tedious - and that worked fine. This dish is impressive and is just as good at room temperature as it is fresh out of the oven - it would be wonderful for a dinner party. Highly, highly recommend!
Richard D
I did this; we are inveterate squid lovers. It is excellent and a much better alternative to those recipes that are quick-cooked rubber bands infused with some sort of flavor. It is also testimony to the Sicilian objective of stuffing any sort of food that may be stuffable.
jkn
I used leftover rice (because it needed to be used) instead of bread crumbs. Ended up with quite a bit of stuffing , but it made a savory side-dish when baked with the squid and the stuffed squid was delicious; tender and flavorful (and fun to eat). Next time I will follow the recipe and use bread crumbs. Need to be careful with anchovies + salt + pecorino; the dish was delicious but it was very nearly too salty...
Cindy W.
Great dish! When stuffing-
I used a disposable icing bag (you can use a larger freezer bag- put stuffing in and snip hole in end) which made this task easy and fast.
Recipe says not to overstuff. I would recommend "under stuffing" as squid will shrink and push your stuffing out if you give it a full stuffing. Yes, do broil this at the end of cooking time for both a nice visual and taste. I did have about 3/4 of a cup of extra stuffing which I did bake and incorporate onto each plate.
Denise
This was outstanding! It was the main course for Christmas Eve dinner last night. It was labor intensive as I could only get small squid, but it was well worth the effort. The minor changes I made were to add lemon and dry white Italian wine to the terracotta pan and topped the calamari with a bit of paprika. A definite make again meal.
brooklynjen
Unlike some other commenters I didn't find the squid hard to stuff - that went quickly (maybe bc most were on the larger side). But the proportions were way off - I followed the recipe and had easily enough stuffing for three times as much squid. Which was annoying as making the stuffing was a little fussy and time consuming, and it's very tasty and I hate to waste it. So now I'm looking for other things to stuff.
Will Hoover
Hi Antonia, I don't know where you live, but are there any Asian food stores? They always carry 3-5 lb. blocks of frozen squid. They also carry whole frozen octopus as well (here in California often hard to find).
Cheers,
Will
Laura
THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! A fair amount of prep, so probably not a weeknight recipe, but outstanding taste and texture. I did have to get rather creative in the stuffing. In the end a chopstick was most useful. THANKS DAVID!!!
Chris
A great tip from Alton Brown re: stuffing squid. Fill a medium freezer bag with stuffing, cut tip of bag (start small and enlarge size as needed) to pipe into calamari. Replace bag as needed if and when "blowouts" occur. This has saved me hours when stuffing 5+ pounds on Christmas Eve of Aunt Dorothy's traditional recipe!
Linsley
I used med. sized squid (what they had at WF- and bigger than what regular market had frozen) and found it very challenging to stuff. I recommend: Be sure onions,fennel,greens are chopped really small- no bigger chunks. A small slit (about 1/4-1/2 inch) at the top of the squid opens up the top and gives you more room to get the stuffing in (discovered this part way through when one of the squid came this way). I tried stuffing w/a narrow spoon - but quickly gave up and used my fingers.
Sheila Boone
The prep for this recipe is so worth it. I've made this dish a couple of times. If you have lots of time, it's worth making the stuffing the day before. Makes preparation easier on cooking day but also because the flavours meld even more so. The tip of using a plastic freezer bag with a hole cut in the corner works great! First time I made it I didn't use this technique and stuffing the squid was definitely more difficult.
Alyce
So delicious! I used 1kg of squid. My fishmonger cleaned them and I cleaned them again at home for a long while so I was surprised that there was some grittiness. That’s on me. Next time, I’ll pan fry and consider a marinara sauce.
ZGBNM
Delicious but it takes twice as long and a lot of pans. Squid come in one size here - for frying - so these were on the small side and a real pain to stuff which added to the prep time. I also had a lot of stuffing left over. I baked as directed but I’d adjust based on the calamari size. I’d only make this again if I could find larger ones. And, I’d definitely split this up in two days.
Catherine
Excellent
MM..FOOD
a lot of work but very good. i reduced some white wine and splashed it on the squid with lemon at the end. thought about adding coriander powder or paprika to the stuffing, maybe next time!
Bernard Favre
Excellent! A bit of work, but definitely worth it. I replaced pecorino by ricotta and parmesan, worked fine.
Kerri
Absolutely brilliant recipe and so yummy! Made it twice now and have added some more ingredients to the stuffing, mushroom and capers. Try experimenting with the fillings but excellent tastes.
Jing G
Made this with 1kg baby squid 1 medium squid, which basically did use up most of the stuffing. Filled the baby squid 3/4th with the filling, toothpick to hold it closed. pan fried it for 2.5min each side, set in the oven for 3 minutes on 385F. Delicious!
mariah mackay
Delicious! Some changes: I didn’t have a fennel bulb but I did have a leek bulb so substituted that and added a teaspoon of anise flavoring to the dish and skipped the onion. Stuffing small squid is a challenge and wish I had thought of the icing/bag trick. Next time will try larger squid. Put garbanzo beans as a base in the baking dish, covered with lots of olive oil before placing stuffed squid and tentacles on top. Very nice combo served with a fresh baguette.
aduggan
Definitely need the broiler to get the right color. Any extra stuffing can just be baked right around the squid—too good to waste!
Jeannine
This was superb! We only used 1/3 cup breadcrumbs. I would suggest adding only a little at a time to your desired consistency. I don't think it needs the full amount suggested. We also skipped the fennel seeds and used fresh anchovies, but followed everything else. The result was restaurant quality.
gill
A yes from us. 3 large squid so I used half the onion/veg mix underneath the squid. Stuffing amazing. Increased cooking time to 40 min as squid so big. Used idea from the other squid recipe and served with wilted radicchio and a Sicilian red wine.
AP
Be careful with the anchovies. I used the recommended 4 fresh and thoroughly cleaned filets, and found the dish to be overwhelmed with anchovy flavor. It was difficult to taste anything else. Also I found the stuffing rather dry. My saving grace was a side of The Rao’s marinara sauce recipe from NYTimes which helped offset the dry, supremely fishy squid.
Connie Williams
Really lovely recipe, the squid was quite tender and stuffing was delicious. I used my Cuisinart food processor to cut fennel, onion, breadcrumbs, etc. which simplified the process. As others noted the stuffing recipe made an excess even after cutting fennel and onion quantity. I will try freezing the leftovers to make the next batch easy. I used frozen Town Dock Calamari (one pound pkg) from Point Judith, RI "squid capital of the northeast", fairly available in supermarkets. Yum!
Ac
I had to add a couple of eggs to the stuffing to moisten it up so it was easier to wad up and stuff In the squid bodies
Karen
I made this using 4 very large squid. I didn't use fennel, but spinach which I threw chopped into the pan after cooking the garlic and onions. I let it wilt and continued with the rest of the recipe. This cut down substantially on the labor intensive part and it was plenty of stuffing and tastes delicious. I closed the opening of the squid with toothpicks.
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