Spanish cuisine · Fish & Seafood

Choco Frito

Cuttlefish strips from Huelva, coated in flour and fried crisp in hot olive oil, seasoned with nothing but lemon.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 800 g cuttlefish (cleaned, or squid tubes)
• 200 g durum wheat flour
• 500 ml olive oil
• 2 lemons
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
• Salt

Instructions

1. Rinse the cuttlefish in cold water, slice open the body, lay it flat and cut into strips about 1 cm wide.
2. Pat the strips very thoroughly dry and lightly salt them — leftover water makes the oil spatter violently.
3. Heat the olive oil in a deep pot to 190°C; a pinch of flour should hiss and rise instantly.
4. Coat the strips in batches in the durum wheat flour, tap off the excess, and fry for 2–3 min until the crust is pale gold and the cuttlefish is firm outside, tender inside.
5. Drain on paper towels and let the oil come back up to temperature before each new batch so the strips stay crisp.
6. Sprinkle with the coarse sea salt and coarsely chopped parsley and serve immediately with plenty of lemon wedges.