TASTEscape: Dubrovnik

Great British Chefs - Celebrity Cruises partner

16 January 2017

Dubrovnik, Croatia

F or anyone visiting Dubrovnik, there are some must-sees and essential views, but scratch the surface of this incredible city and there’s so much more on offer. This month's TASTEscape destination guide produced in partership with Great British Chefs explores Croatia’s capital. Fresh local seafood tops the menu in Dubrovnik; so we hope you're inspired by our recipe.

Recipe: Squid with chickpeas, lemon and oregano

This delicious fried squid recipe is inspired by the city of Dubrovnik. As chef Russell Brown notes: 'Coastal regions of Croatia are more heavily influenced by the Mediterranean, and seafood forms a major part of the cuisine. Lemon, garlic and olive oil sit well with most types of seafood and that was the main influence behind this dish. The squid has a delicate flavour, the chickpeas provide a contrasting texture and the whole is given freshness with plenty of oregano.'

Information

Course: Starter
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 4
Time: 60 minutes, plus overnight marinating time

Ingredients

Fried squid

4 squid, small, bodies opened up, lightly scored and cut into rough squares and tentacles split into two or three
200ml of buttermilk, mixed with 50ml milk
50g of plain flour
50g of semolina
lemon juice
oil, for deep-frying
flaky sea salt
black pepper

Chickpeas

400g of tinned chickpeas, drained
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, large, crushed
75ml of white wine
200ml of vegetable stock, or chicken stock
1 lemon, juiced and zested
50ml of extra virgin olive oil, good quality
1 tbsp of oregano, chopped
flaky sea salt
black pepper

Recipe

To begin, add the squid to the buttermilk mixture, seal in a bag or container and leave to marinate overnight, ideally for 24 hours
4 squid, small, bodies opened up, lightly scored and cut into rough squares and tentacles split into two or three
- 200ml of buttermilk, mixed with 50ml milk
Next, make the chickpea mixture. Sweat the onion and garlic in the olive oil until tender

- 1 garlic clove, large, crushed
- 1 small onion, diced
Add the wine, reduce to a syrup then add the stock and reduce by two thirds. Add the chickpeas and warm through. Season with salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice. Stir in the olive oil and set aside

- 75ml of white wine
- 200ml of vegetable stock, or chicken stock
- black pepper
- flaky sea salt
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- 50ml of extra virgin olive oil, good quality
Drain the buttermilk from the squid and combine the flour and semolina in a bowl, seasoning heavily. Toss the squid pieces in the flour mixture to coat evenly

- 50g of semolina
- 50g of plain flour
- black pepper
- flaky sea salt
Shake off the excess flour. Using a non-stick pan, shallow-fry the squid very quickly in smoking hot oil, cooking in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Drain on kitchen paper and season with lemon juice and sea salt

- oil, for deep-frying
- lemon juice
Finish the chickpea mixture by stirring through the oregano. Check the seasoning, spoon onto plates and top with the squid pieces and tentacles

- 1 tbsp of oregano, chopped