Recipe Note

Variations & Ideas:

• You can make the whole preparation on a large enough grill if you want, just set up a high heat zone on one side for the squid and make the paella in a half sheet pan (13" x 19") directly on the grill over high then low heat (the timing should be about the same). When it's finished cooking let it rest on the grill with the heat off while you cook the squid. And of course you are free to experiment with other seafood toppings if you're not a squid fan, try shrimp or scallops cooked the same way, clams or mussels simply poached in the stock, or a mix!

• Not a seafood fan? Try this instead - Salt and fry pieces of dark meat chicken or rabbit in olive oil until browned. Add veggies and sauté until softened (flat beans are traditional but I also like a bit of onion). Add a handful of soaked lima beans, shio koji, tomato purée (fresh or canned depending on the season), pimentón, and a few pinches of Ayala N16. Add water or low sodium chicken stock and saffron and cook until reduced by half. Add your rice and some escargot (optional), stir well, and cook as above.

• Ochazuke style - Make dashi (this can be ni-ban) and infuse with Japanese green tea. Gently poach salmon fillets in your stock until firm, then set aside and season the stock with miso and shio koji. Sauté the white parts of a bunch of scallions in butter until softened, add the stock, then add medium grain rice (the Calrose variety works very well) and cook as in the recipe above. Top with the salmon fillets (crisp the skin for an extra dimension), nori strips, chopped umeboshi or good quality sumac, and scallion greens. Serve with fresh citrus and wasabi. A bit of Japanese mayonnaise is also nice with this dish. Or try adding a whole grilled squid marinated in shoyu and ginger.

• Taking inspiration from squid cooked in its own ink, and arròs negre - start with whole squid, peel the skins and reserve the ink from the sacs, then chop into small pieces. In a skillet sauté chopped onion and cubanelle peppers in olive oil until soft, then add Cataluña N.22 and optionally tomato paste. Add the squid pieces and fish stock, bring almost to a boil then drop the heat, place a lid on the pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Add rice, white wine, and the ink, and cook, uncovered, until the liquid is absorbed. I love this topped with fresh parsley and grilled shrimp, the contrast is great with the meltingly tender squid. Unlike paella, arròs negre, arròs a banda, and fideua are traditionally served with Allioli, though with this dish I prefer the more assertive and fluffier toum (I like to add a pinch of powdered saffron and/or Cancale N11 when pulverizing the garlic).

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