Spicy Grilled Squid with Pork Filling
Yam Blah Muek Yad Sai Moo
Whole squid stuffed with seasoned pork, grilled, and sliced into a shareable party bite
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Serves
- 4
- Heat
- hot
This is a conversation-starter of an appetizer: small squid are packed with a lemongrass and coriander root scented pork filling, sealed at the head with a toothpick, and grilled until the outside firms up and chars slightly in spots. Once cooled and sliced into rounds, each piece looks almost like a little sausage, meant to be picked up on a skewer or toothpick. The squid itself carries no heat at all, so the fiery shallot, chili, and lime relish served alongside lets each guest control how spicy their bite turns out.
Ingredients
- 3-4 Small squid (cleaned, heads removed and reserved)
- 4 oz Chopped pork
- 1/2 stalk Lemongrass (bottom half, finely chopped)
- 1 Coriander root, large (finely chopped)
- 1 clove Garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Light soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Fish sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon Lime juice (for marinating the squid)
- 3 Red shallots (peeled, halved, and thinly sliced)
- 2 Thai hot chili (finely sliced)
- 1 clove Garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon Lime juice
- 2 tablespoons Water
Directions
- Choose small squid so the filling cooks through quickly. Remove the heads, clean out the body cavity, and remove the cartilage from the back. Rinse well. Marinate the bodies in the lime juice for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Finely chop the lemongrass, coriander root, and garlic. Mix them into the chopped pork along with the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and fish sauce until well combined.
- Spoon the filling into each squid body. Secure the head back onto the body with a toothpick to seal the filling inside.
- Grill the stuffed squid over moderate heat, turning often, for about 15 minutes, until the filling is fully cooked through with no pink remaining. A little charring on the outside is fine — just wipe it off after cooking.
- Warm the water and stir in the sugar until dissolved (no need to boil). Pour into a serving bowl and stir in the shallots, chili, garlic, fish sauce, and lime juice. Let sit about 15 minutes before serving; it's best made fresh and doesn't keep well at room temperature.
- Let the squid cool slightly, then slice into half-inch rounds. Arrange on a platter with the spicy sauce spooned over or served on the side, with toothpicks or small skewers for guests to eat with.
Notes
Pull a squid off the grill and check the center before serving — filling size varies enough between squid that the largest ones may need an extra minute or two.
Substitutions
Ground chicken can stand in for the pork filling. If small squid aren't available, cut larger squid bodies into wide pieces and fill flat instead of stuffing them whole.