Fried Puntillitas with Squid Ink Aioli

15 mins

4 people

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

5 mins

Total Time

15 mins

Puntillitas are a type of baby squid which is quickly fried in a special flour and served in tapas bars all over Andalucía. The name is a diminutive of the word punta, which means point due to the pointy shape of this tiny squid. The secret to perfectly fried puntillitas is to work quickly when preparing them and frying them. The oil needs to be hot, so the flour seals itself all around the squid and doesn’t start to soak the oil and become greasy.

Ingredients
Method

300g puntillitas
300g frying flour
Olive oil for frying
Fine salt
Lemon wedges
For the squid ink aioli:
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely crushed
2 medium egg yolks
A small pinch of saffron threads
75ml olive oil
75ml rapeseed or vegetable oil
1tsp of lemon juice
1tsp of sherry vinegar
20g squid ink

First make the squid ink aioli. Put the garlic, egg yolks and saffron into a food processor and blitz to a thick paste. Put both oils into a measuring jug. With the motor running, slowly pour the oil mix into the food processor and blend until all the oil has been incorporated and you get a thick sauce. If the sauce splits, transfer it to a jug then add another egg yolk or two to the food processor. Blitz until thick then slowly blend in the split sauce. Season the sauce with the vinegar, lemon juice and some salt and pepper, to taste. Finally blend in the squid ink. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill until ready to use.
Heat the oil in a large shallow pan until it reaches a temperature of around 200°c.
Before you fry the puntillitas, make sure you pat dry them well with some kitchen paper, so the frying flour sticks evenly through the squid and you prevent it from forming flour balls from with the excess water. On a plate, roll the puntillitas in the frying flour making sure they are all evenly coated. Try not to leave them in the flour for too long to prevent the flour from becoming soggy due to the excess water.
Fry the puntillitas in the hot oil for a maximum of 2 minutes. You might want to fry them in two batches.
Drain the puntillitas onto some kitchen paper, season with salt and serve immediately with some squid ink aioli, some lemon wedges and a cold beer.

Ingredients

300g puntillitas
300g frying flour
Olive oil for frying
Fine salt
Lemon wedges
For the squid ink aioli:
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely crushed
2 medium egg yolks
A small pinch of saffron threads
75ml olive oil
75ml rapeseed or vegetable oil
1tsp of lemon juice
1tsp of sherry vinegar
20g squid ink

Method

First make the squid ink aioli. Put the garlic, egg yolks and saffron into a food processor and blitz to a thick paste. Put both oils into a measuring jug. With the motor running, slowly pour the oil mix into the food processor and blend until all the oil has been incorporated and you get a thick sauce. If the sauce splits, transfer it to a jug then add another egg yolk or two to the food processor. Blitz until thick then slowly blend in the split sauce. Season the sauce with the vinegar, lemon juice and some salt and pepper, to taste. Finally blend in the squid ink. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill until ready to use.
Heat the oil in a large shallow pan until it reaches a temperature of around 200°c.
Before you fry the puntillitas, make sure you pat dry them well with some kitchen paper, so the frying flour sticks evenly through the squid and you prevent it from forming flour balls from with the excess water. On a plate, roll the puntillitas in the frying flour making sure they are all evenly coated. Try not to leave them in the flour for too long to prevent the flour from becoming soggy due to the excess water.
Fry the puntillitas in the hot oil for a maximum of 2 minutes. You might want to fry them in two batches.
Drain the puntillitas onto some kitchen paper, season with salt and serve immediately with some squid ink aioli, some lemon wedges and a cold beer.

Add To Basket

Cerveza Er Boqueron

£2.30
Molineta Spanish Saffron 0.5g
- Buy 3 save 5%
- Buy 6 save 10%
£3.95
Nortindal Squid Ink Jar
- Buy 3 save 5%
- Buy 6 save 10%
£3.50
Puntillitas
- Buy 3 save 5%
- Buy 6 save 10%
£16.95

Chef's Profile

Javier De La Hormaza

Javier is a Basque born, trained chef and hospitality professional, owner of Basco Fine Foods, a Spanish food and drink importer based in Yorkshire. He regularly runs client food and drink events around the country and he is a course tutor at Hartingtons of Bakewell cookery school. Javier's passion lies on bringing quality Spanish ingredients and recipes to as many people as possible.

Twitter: @bascofinefoods
Instagram: @mrbasco