Mediterranean Grilled Stuffed Squid, stuffed with eggplant, tomato, garlic, spinach, squid tentacle and finished on the grill will transport you to the Mediterranean!
Mediterranean Squid Dishes
Oh my, can you just smell the aromas, while sitting along side of a Mediterranean sea shore! The slower pace of life, the smell of seafood in the air and the roasting of food on a grill!
As a first-class home cook, I am going to stick my neck out and say something I am sure to get chopped for, ‘Only an uneducated palate eats everything fried’… I saw that expression!
Squid, for example, nine times out of ten, people eat it fried. Why? Because options are rarely available and truth be told, most of us are shy to cook it any other way, for fear it will be rubbery.
Mediterranean cuisine offers many versatile squid recipes from grilled, over pasta to stuffed. And so when I had my chance to cook for national television, I wanted to share this favorite Mediterranean stuffed squid recipe my family loves.
Grilled Stuffed Squid Made Tender
Squid is a delicate tender seafood that needs very little cooking and absorbs so many of the flavors we cook it with.
When not grilling squid or frying it, a lightly dusted squid that has been quickly sauteed, not ladened with goopy batter, is a beautiful way to enjoy squid.
The secret to keeping squid tender when cooking, no matter the option you choose, is to cook them minimally.
Squid Is Versatile And Oh So Mediterranean
If you’re looking to bring a taste of Italy to your table, you might find my scrumptious Squid Ink Pasta with Squid the perfect dish to try.
Very little cook time on the squid and the squid ink pasta certainly compliments the squid.
Often for Halloween dinner parties I will prepare this recipe because at a quick glance it looks creepy, and then at first bite you’d swear pasta should always be cooked with squid.
Mediterranean Salads With Squid
A summer salad I love is a lightly sautéed squid in olive oil, a dab of butter with a little lemon juice.
Once cooked, toss that over a Mediterranean Orzo Black Olive Salad (I also made for the PBS program), and you’ve got one simple, fantastic dish!
Definitely quick, flavorful and perfect for a summer lunch or light fare and yet filling enough for a summer dinner because after all, orzo is just little pasta.
Squid In A Bowl
Mango and Squid Buddha Bowl is the perfect balance of hot, sour and sweet, topped with the crunch of peanuts and fried shallots.
This recipe, vibrant in color from herbs and mango, protein rich from squid and grain, often rice, is actually my take on a fabulous Vietnamese dish my friend made for a television gathering.
As we approached the finale of The Great American Recipe on PBS, Goi Xoai, made from green mangos and cuttlefish, is what my friend Foo made.
His dish looked and tasted so amazing I knew I had to at least try the components of his traditional dish and turn it into something of my own.
Mediterranean Stuffed Squid
When making stuffed squid, whether grilled, baked or simmered it in tomato sauce on top of the stove, I always cook the stuffing first.
Like many other stuffed dishes of Mediterranean regions, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Stuffed Peppers or squash, cooking the filling in advance assures it to cook faster and all the way through, especially when meat is involved.
Since the squid tubes don’t need more than a few minutes on each side to cook, if stuffing the tubes with tentacles or eggplant as I have done here, the filling needs to be cooked.
Stuffing Squid Can Be Tricky
Stuffing the squid can be tricky, since the tube part of the body is often small and very slippery.
It reminds me of trying to feed a four-month old baby their first spoons of cereal; shove it in, half falls out.
I use a little demitasse size spoon to slide the filling inside, or a pureed filling can be piped in as well.
A wooden toothpick to close the top of the squid body opening and the squid is ready to be cooked and served.
Mediterranean Grilled Squid
Truth be told, I am by no means a grill master. I don’t quite understand how to use the heat of an open fire to cook, the way I understand a stove.
But one thing I do know, is how much I love the flavor of grilled foods. So I cheated and bought myself a fish basket or rack designed for grilling, so everything can be turned in one swift move.
A Fish Basket For Grilling Makes The Job Easier
The squid lay inside the wire cage, it closes and is so easy to cook all the squid on one side and turn them all over together for perfect timing on both sides.
I also love to use the wired cage for grilling shrimp, okra and asparagus!
Since the filling of the squid is already cooked, the outside of the squid is all we need to give our attention to on the open fire.
About three or four minutes on each side, not over direct fire but rather hot embers on either side, and the squid is perfectly charred, hot and ready to eat.
This recipe is sure to change the way you think of squid. The filling alone is rich in flavors.
Ingredients Needed
- Squid – tentacles and tubes
- Olive oil, always good quality with a deep rich color.
- Eggplant that will be finely chopped and used mostly for texture.
- Tomatoes, fresh or plum tomatoes in the can.
- Spinach, fresh is best and lightly sauteed to wilt but not over cook.
- Lemon juice and a little zest.
- Garlic, freshly pressed, not garlic powder.
- Salt and a bit of cayenne pepper for heat.
- Allspice, which is not just for sweet recipes but is common in many seafood rubs.
- Marjoram, offering a fragrant sweeter flavor than oregano, which is often used in seafood recipes throughout Mediterranean regions.
Equipment Needed
- Fish Rack for Grilling – an easy way to manage seafood over a hot grill.
- Wooden toothpicks – round not flat so they are strong for the job.
- 3 Mixing bowls – glass is still my preferred mixing bowls so there is no chemical reaction conflict.
- Nonstick Saute pan, preferably ceramic lined, for multiple uses in preparing the stuffing.
- Spatula for nonstick pans, flexible and multipurpose.
- Gas or charcoal grill – while you may already have one, here is a favorite small grill for patio and small space grilling.
- Cutting board and a chopping knife
- Measuring cup and measuring spoons
- Demitasse spoon, or long handle tiny measuring spoon for easy insertion of filling into small cavity squid.
- Stovetop or portable single burner
Three Steps To Make Mediterranean Grilled Stuffed Squid
- Prepare the filling while the squid marinates
- Stuff the squid
- Grill the squid 3 – 4 minutes on each side
When making this at home, it’s easy to relax, sip on some wine while trying to stuff this amazing filling inside the tiny opening of the squid.
Professional vs Home Cooking Squid
While making this on national television in 60-minutes, cameras everywhere, no wine to sip on (LOL), not so relaxing, those slippery little squid tubes dang near ended up on the floor of the film studio!
Had I taken my long handle, tiny teaspoon from home to stuff these squid, I wouldn’t have worked so hard at something that is usually easier to prepare at home!
However, they came out beautiful, filling tasted amazing and it sure wowed the judges.
So, if I can make this scrumptious stuffed squid under those conditions, you’re gonna have a blast making it at home!
My Mediterranean Grilled Stuffed Squid On National Television – PBS
Imagine, a recipe you’ve made for years and years and then one day you have the opportunity to make it on national television!
Episode 7, round 1 on The Great American Recipe with PBS is where this fabulous recipe got its spotlight!
Making these slippery little guys on a time clock is not advisable! Take your time and by all means, grill them, something I was not able to do on a television set!!
Mediterranean Grilled Stuffed Squid
Equipment
- Grill or stovetop griddle
- Fish rack for grilling
- Demitasse spoon or piping bag
- Toothpicks
Ingredients
- 1 lb Squid tubes and tentacles
- 1/3 cup Olive oil – 1/3 cup, enough to marinate squid and to cook the filling marinate and cook
- 1 cup Eggplant peeled and confetti-cut
- 1/2 cup Tomatoes confetti cut
- 1 lb Fresh Spinach finely chopped
- 2 Lemons juiced
- 2 Garlic cloves
- Salt as needed
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp Allspice
- 1 tsp Marjoram dried or fresh
Instructions
- Prepare the grill. If not using a grill then have a cast iron griddle ready to heat up on the stovetop.
- Peel and confetti cut (quart-inch cubes), the eggplant. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with a little salt and allow to sit for 15-minutes. Rinse the salt off, drain and press with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- Remove the squid tentacles and chop very fine, set aside in a medium mixing bowl.
- Marinate the squid tubes with juice from 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 crushed garlic clove and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- While the squid and eggplant are set aside, confetti chop the tomato, and rough chop the spinach.
- In a sauté pan add remaining olive oil, chopped tentacles, eggplant, tomato, 1 garlic clove, pinch of salt, other spices and spinach. Sauté until tentacles turn pink and eggplant is cooked. Cool.
- With a tiny demitasse size spoon, fill each tube, squeezing down the filling to the end of the tube. Place a toothpick at the top of each filled tube to keep them closed.
- Place inside a fish rack or a fish pan used for cooking on a grill. No need to oil either since the squid has been marinating in olive oil.
- Grill 3 – 4 minutes on both sides, not over direct fire. Serve.
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I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.