Summer is in full swing people! And it's the most wonderful time of the year in my opinion! My wife—not so much, she's a Fall person, kinda agree though since that season is quite an amazing time to be in New England. The colors and the smell of maple surrounds you and the little nip in the air just makes you want to sit in a comfy chair and sip on some hot chocolate.

Well, what the hell are we doing talking about my wife's favorite time of the year, let's rewind to now—the summer! I love it. I think I've said it a million times before, and I really do, and this time of year I crave a lot of salads and juices and then some good ol' burgers too.

Today I made a grilled Squid salad that is marinated in some Indian spices and some parsley and lime and its grilled on a hot cast iron skillet and then roasted over the fire for a hot second (no pun intended :)

This Squid was inspired by our local bistro me and my wife and friends often go to that makes the best Squid! Tender, juice, citrusy and smokey, it's heaven! So I took a stab at it as well, modifying the recipe just a bit to bring out some native Indian flavors.

It turned out amazing. The squid was smokey and citrusy and so tender! It went perfect with some lettuce and crisp baked Crostini, all making for a perfect bite of a summery, healthy salad.

Let's make!

Grilled Squid Salad with Herbed Crostini

Serves 2

Ingredients

3/4 lb. Wild caught Squid tentacles (cleaned)

1 Lime (juiced)

1 tbsp Paprika

1 tbsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1/4 cup fresh Parsley (chopped)

1 tbsp Salt

3 tbsp Olive oil

Ziploc bag

Salad Ingredients

2 cups Lettuce leaves (washed and dried)

1/2 Lime (juiced)

Salt and Pepper

Crostini

French baguette (Demi)

Olive oil to rub

Handful chopped Parsley

Salt + Pepper

Paprika to garnish

The first step is to marinate the Squid for 15 minutes or so.

In a Ziploc bag put all the ingredients from the marinade list and give it a good shake. I used the same container I got the Squid in. Let it do it's thing for 15 minutes.

Also if you're going to be using your oven for the Crostini, turn it on to pre heat it to 375 degrees. I used a toaster oven so I'm skipped this step.

Next, bring out a cast iron pan, and turn on your stove to medium high. Let the pan get hot, quite hot actually. The squid cook in seconds, and the secret to tender squid is to flash cook it and then just smoke it over direct flame for that charred flavor.

Wash and dry your lettuce leaves, and roughly break them up into smaller pieces, as big or as small as you'd like. Set aside.

Now slice your baguette into 1/2 inch thick slices on a bias. In a bowl/cup combine Olive oil, salt and pepper and the chopped parsley and mix well. Rub this mix over your baguette slices. Put them on a baking tray and transfer them into the oven for about 7 to 8 minutes. You could also flip them halfway through for even toasting. When done sprinkle with some smoked Paprika.

Now the squid. The pan should be really hot by now. Transfer one by one, each tentacle onto the pan and you'll see that the squid starts to curl up in seconds. Give it 10 to 15 seconds and then remove. Repeat for all the other tentacles.

Now start another burner on your stove and pick up each squid one by one and char it over direct flame for about 3 to 4 seconds at the most. You'll notice that the squid cooks even more, and you do not want to overdo it, if you do, you'll end up with really chewy Squid.

When done, sprinkle some lime juice and parsley and set aside.

Now on to the plating! Toss the lettuce leaves in some lime juice and salt and pepper and serve some on your plate. Top it off with some of that beautiful Squid and serve with a Crostini.

Beautiful. Flavorful. Delicious. I love this salad!

When it's all plated, it looks divine! As if this salad came down from the heavens of Mediterranea and on to your table. The smokey whiff rises through the air as the lettuce starts to warm up and wilt with the citrus.

The Squid was so tender and the Crostini so crunchy, and that contrast really added a whole new textural element to this salad. This salad felt like a really elevated experience, it felt modern and light and it tasted like the summer from an exotic island, afloat in a sea as the sun shines down on it's land, while the cobbled streets bounce the light back into the air.

This is what was going through my head when I was enjoying this salad and it was truly an experience. I hope you get to enjoy it as well and spread the love of summer!

Until next time, hugs, love and Nomaste.

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