Stuffed Calamari Tubes
NOWADAYS more and more fish outlets stock calamari tubes. Do not pass them by. Choose a couple of the same size of about 10 - 15cm long. You now have in your possession the basic ingredient for a superb starter that will blow the minds of your guests. Stuff the tubes with a filling of your choice and braai in on a grid or in a pan until golden brown, as an imaginative starter for your braai.
From our De Vette Mossel food book:
INGREDIENTS (for 10 starter portions)
• 10 small calamari tubes. (the sides of big tubes are too thick and might get tough when cooked with this method.)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 100g any fish or mussel meat, chopped
• optional: replace fish with savoury rice, with additional onion and sweet red pepper
• 1 small onion
• 2 dessert spoons butter
• 1 or 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 10 toothpicks
• 50g bread crumbs, if you do not use rice
• salt and pepper to taste
• ½ teaspoon paprika
NOW DO THIS:
Saute onion in butter. Add fish/mussel meat, garlic, spices and braai quickly until just cooked. Add bread crumbs and mix. Stuff the calamari tubes with the filling and use a toothpick to ‘stitch’ the ‘mouth’ of each tube. DO NOT STUFF IT TOO TIGHT, ONLY ABOUT HALF FULL - the calamari will shrink when cooking and explode or some of the filling will leak out. Paint the tubes with egg, sprinkle with spices and braai quickly on-grid or pan (with butter!) on high heat. Do not overcook!
Serve with a lemon wedge and a small salad of your choice. Serve and enjoy immediately.
