
Pickled Roasted Squid Heads with Beetroot and Carrot
Colourful and fun, this beautiful dish that could be considered art.
- Serves: 2 |
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Prep Time : 0 mins |
- Cook Time : 0 mins


Ingredients
Pickled Squid Heads
1 Tbsp (15 ml) sugar
½ tsp (2.5 ml) garlic powder
grated rind of 2 lemons
1 Tbsp (15 ml) sea salt
2 C (500 ml) squid heads, cleaned
Beetroot Purée
4 beetroot, peeled and chopped
1 small onion
1 whole clove
salt to taste
¼ C (60 ml) fresh cream
1 tsp (5 ml) olive oil
Carrot Purée
2 large carrots, peeled
1 tsp (5 ml) honey
1 tsp (5 ml) Dijon mustard
Olive Purée
6 black olives, pitted and chopped
¼ C (60 ml) water
To Finish
2 oysters, shucked and juice reserved
handful of Italian parsley
Method
Pickled squid heads
Mix together the sugar, thyme, garlic powder, lemon rind and salt. Sprinkle this over the squid and leave to stand in the refrigerator for 1–1½ hours.
Beetroot purée
Place the beetroot in a pot with the bay leaf, onion, clove and a little salt. Cover with water and boil until soft, about 25 minutes. Strain off the water and discard the bay leaf, onion and clove. Leave the beetroot in a container for a few minutes to collect the beetroot juices. Reserve the juices. Place the cream into a pot and add the cooked beetroot. Bring to the boil and allow to reduce slightly, then place into a food processor and blitz. Add the olive oil to the beetroot juice and keep to one side.
Carrot purée
Juice 1 carrot and chop the other. Place the carrot juice and the chopped carrot in a saucepan and cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and add the honey and mustard. Place in a blender and purée.
Olive purée
Place the olives, olive oil and water in a food processor. Purée until smooth and keep to one side.
To finish
Add the oysters, the reserved oyster juice and the oil to the beetroot purée and mix together.
Blanch the parsley in lightly salted boiling water for 2 seconds and then place in ice-cold water to stop the cooking process. Remove the parsley from the water and add to a food processor. Blend to make a purée.
Remove the squid heads from the refrigerator and rinse under cold running water. Fry the squid heads in a non-stick frying pan for 2 minutes. Place the oysters with the beetroot oil in a pan and heat slowly.
Place the beetroot, carrot and olive purées on a plate, top with warm oysters, squid heads, parsley purée and beetroot juices.