Making the most of seasonal blood oranges, this zesty recipe combines different textural ingredients to produce a light and flavourful supper salad that is robust enough to serve on its own.
Part two in a series of recipes I developed for La Motte, this fresh take on surf & turf pairs baby squid tubes and heads with creamy avocado, fragrant fennel, tender edamame and the sweetness of blood oranges. Simultaneously delicate and robust, this recipe will please seafood and salad lovers alike – and is the perfect lunch to serve on a warm summer’s day. Here I’ve paired La Motte Sauvignon Blanc – for the wine’s balanced acidity – with the salad.
Seared Squid, Blood Orange & Fennel Salad
Prep time: 45 mins /Cook time: /Serves: 4
You will need:
- 1kg baby (or Patagonian) squid tubes and tentacles
- Olive oil
- 2 small red chillies, finely chopped
- 2 small green chillies, finely chopped
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 400g frozen edamame beans, steamed and shelled
- 6-8 blood oranges, peeled, de-pithed and segmented
- 1-2 large fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced (retain the stalks and tops)
- 2-3 ripe avocados, peeled and roughly chopped
- Fresh mint
Add the cleaned squid to a bowl with the chopped chillies and about a tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and stir to coat the squid in the chillies and oil. Heat a pan to very hot and fry the squid in batches, cooking for between 1-3 minutes per batch or until the squid is golden and curling at the edges. Once cooked, set the squid aside.
In a large bowl, gently combine the shelled edamame beans with the segmented blood oranges, sliced fennel and the seared squid. Use a peeler to shave thin slices of the fennel stalks into the bowl. Dish the salad up on to a platter and scatter over the avocado. Pick off some fennel fronds and mint leaves to go over the top and drizzle over a little olive oil. Sprinkle some flaked sea salt over the salad and serve immediately with a few glasses of chilled La Motte Sauvignon Blanc.
