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Fried Squid Legs (Ika Geso Karaage)
Serves 2 · About 30 min (15 min of this is just letting it sit in the seasoning)
Squid legs seasoned with soy sauce and shallow-fried in a little oil in a frying pan.
① Cut the squid legs→② Season→③ Coat with potato starch→④ Heat the oil→⑤ Shallow-fry
What to buy
Fish
Vegetables
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How to make it
1
Cut the squid legs and pat dry
- Put the squid legs on a cutting board and cut into pairs of 2 legs. Cut the 2 long legs in half
- Run your fingers along the legs to scrape off the suckers, then rinse with water (the hard rings inside the suckers stay in your mouth)
- Pat dry well with paper towels
How to tell it's doneThe legs are all about 5–6 cm long, and the surface is not wet.
Be carefulSquid has a lot of water and splatters easily in oil. Pat it very dry here.
2
Season
- Put the squid legs, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sake and 1 tsp ginger in a bowl and rub in with your hands
- Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 15 minutes
How to tell it's doneThe squid legs have turned light brown.
3
Pat dry and coat with potato starch
- Take out the squid legs and pat off the liquid with paper towels
- Spread 4 tbsp potato starch in a tray and roll the legs in it to coat all over. Shake off the extra
How to tell it's doneThe legs are covered all over in white, with no wet spots.
4
Heat the oil
- Pour vegetable oil 1 cm deep (about 200 ml) into a frying pan and put over medium heat
- Check the oil temperature: put the tip of dry cooking chopsticks in the oil. If small bubbles keep fizzing from the tip, it's about 170°C. If there are almost no bubbles, it's not hot enough yet. If big bubbles rush out hard, it's too hot, so turn the heat down
How to tell it's doneSmall bubbles keep fizzing from the tip of the chopsticks.
Be carefulOil may splatter. Do not leave while frying. Turn off the heat as soon as you're done, and clean up the oil only after it has cooled completely.
5
Shallow-fry
- Add half of the squid legs, one at a time, apart from each other
- Right after adding, hold the frying pan lid up at an angle between you and the pan to block splatters (do not put the lid on)
- After 1 1/2 minutes, turn over with cooking chopsticks and fry 1–1 1/2 more minutes
- Put on a rack or paper towels to drain the oil. Fry the rest the same way, then turn off the heat. Add lemon on the side if you have it
How to tell it's readyThe outside is crispy and firm, and light golden brown. Cut the thickest leg with a knife: it is OK if the inside is white and not see-through.
Be carefulSquid can pop and splatter hard. Keep your face away. Do not leave the stove while frying. Clean up the oil only after it has cooled completely.
📚 Learn more about this dish
🥬 Ingredient guide
🔪 Cutting & cooking tips
If it didn't work out
The oil splattered a lotWater was left on it. Pat very dry with paper towels in steps 1 and 3. Fry right after coating (if you wait, water comes out).
Tough and hard to bite throughFried too long. About 3 minutes for both sides is enough.
The coating is soggyThe oil was not hot enough. Wait until small bubbles fizz out before adding. Do not add too many at once.
The flavor is weakThe rest time in step 2 was short, or you wiped off too much liquid. This time, sprinkle on a pinch of salt.
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