WARM SQUID SALAD

Makes 4 servings

This is a “minute” dish — and a stellar one. You cut all the ingredients for the

salad — celery, pepper, red onion that’s given a quick dunk in vinegar,

capers, tomatoes, avocado and lemon zest — then whisk together a lemonlime

dressing and, when you’re ready to serve, poach the squid for just 60

seconds. One minute is all it takes for the squid to become tender, ready to

absorb the dressing’s sharp flavors and add its own to the salad’s mix of

vegetables, both crunchy and soft. A light supper that can be enjoyed yearround,

this is one of my favorite kinds of recipes: It seems restaurant-fancy

but it’s really a cinch.

You can serve the salad on a bed of greens — it’s good with both dark

greens, like kale and spinach, and crisp ones, like romaine or shredded

iceberg.

a word on the squid

If you’re buying squid from a fish market, ask to have the skin removed, if it

hasn’t already been, and the squid bodies cut into ringlets. If you’re buying it

frozen — a good option — the skin will have been removed, so all you have to

do is defrost it just until it’s easy to slice and cut the bodies with a chef’s

knife into rings about ¼ inch wide. If the squid’s got tentacles, cut them

into bite-sized pieces.

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon water

½ medium red onion, thinly sliced and rinsed

Juice of 1 lime

Juice of ½ lemon, plus 2 wide strips of the zest

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed, patted dry and chopped if large, plus 1 teaspoon of the

brine

¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

Fine sea salt

About 8 baby potatoes, cooked, cooled and quartered or halved, depending on size

(optional)

2 celery stalks with leaves, bottoms trimmed and thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into small pieces

1 pint (about 300 grams) grape tomatoes, halved or quartered

Freshly ground pepper

1 pound (454 grams) squid, cut into rings (see headnote)

Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 avocado, halved, pitted and cut into chunks (optional)

WOR K I NG A H E A D

You can make the salad up to 1 hour in advance and refrigerate it, and the onions can

be pickled up to 1 day ahead.

Whisk the vinegar and water together in a small bowl and drop in the onion

slices. Let the onions pickle — stir now and again — while you prepare the

rest of the salad. (You can pickle the onion in the fridge for up to 1 day.)

Make the dressing in another bowl by whisking together the lime and

lemon juice and the caper brine. Whisk in the olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt;

set aside.

Bring a medium pot of generously salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, finely chop the lemon zest and toss it into a large serving

bowl. Add the potatoes, if you’re using them, the celery, bell pepper,

tomatoes and capers. Drain the onion and add it to the bowl. Season lightly

with salt and pepper and toss with a little bit of the dressing.

Drop the squid into the boiling water, stir and cook for 1 minute. (Don’t

worry if the water doesn’t return to a boil.) Taste, and if you like the texture,

drain well; if you’d like the squid firmer, cook for 30 seconds more.

Add the squid to the salad, toss with the remaining dressing, taste for salt

and pepper and add a pinch of red pepper flakes, if you’d like. (The salad can

be chilled for an hour.) If you’re using the avocado, gently stir it in, and head

for the table.

S TO R I N G : You can refrigerate leftovers overnight — the squid will be great,

but the salad stuff, particularly the tomatoes and the avocado, if you used it,

will soften.