Chorizo-Stuffed Squid in Tomato Sauce

 

We recently paid a visit to Ración, a new Spanish tapas restaurant in Pasadena that we heard about on NPR. The food was yummy but there was one dish in particular that had me wanting to recreate it at home - calamares rellenos - duck sausage stuffed in squid and served over a tomato-based brava sauce. There are tons of recipes and variations of this sausage-stuffed squid online. The iteration I chose to make includes a fresh chorizo sausage mixed with chopped parsley, panko and red bell peppers. However, any type of sausage will do, like your standard hot Italian sausage at the neighhood market. Just remove the meat from the casing prior to mixing together the ingredients.

Squid is one of those weird ingredients where the perfect bite can achieved through two cooking methods: slowly over low heat or quickly over a high heat or flame. Anything in between creates a tough meat that is impossible to chew. One recipe on Tasting Table uses a quicker method by first cooking the sausage filling before stuffing the squid. This allows for a nice browning/char on the squid. The low and slow recipe I followed from Serious Eats takes on a different approach - the raw sausage is stuffed in the squid first and then cooked slowly in a bed of crushed tomatoes, garlic, and leftover sausage and squid tentacles. The juices released from the meat as it cooks keeps the squid moist and tender. My only complaint was the lack of visual appeal - the squid looked quite white and paste-y, even after cooking in the sauce for 30 minutes. Next time, I will try grilling the squid over a high flame to get the char before throwing it in the tomato sauce to cook slowly. Regardless, I loved this recipe and will definitely be serving it at our next dinner party alongside some fresh pasta or rustic country bread.

Chorizo-stuffed Squid in Tomato Sauce
adapted from Tasting Table and Serious Eats

Ingredients
1/3 pound chorizo
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons panko
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
12 squid, cleaned with tentacles removed but reserved
2 cloves garlic sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons parsley
3 tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound pasta, or loaf of crusty bread to serve

Directions
Combine chorizo, red peppers, panko and chopped parsley until well combined. Stuff each squid cavity with the chorizo mixture until cavity is about half filled. The meat will expand once cooked so you don't want the squid to burst by overfilling.



Seal the edge with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining squid. Any leftover sausage can be added to the tomato sauce along with the squid tentacles.

Place a cast-iron pot over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Sauté garlic until soft and add the leftover chorizo and tentacles. Add the canned tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper and bring the sauce to a low simmer. Add the stuffed squid and chopped parsley. Cover and simmer over low heat until the squid are tender, about 30 minutes.



Stir the mixture ever so often to prevent the meat from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once ready, serve over a bed of fresh pasta or a warm slice of bread.

Enjoy!