Have you tried stuffed calamari? This is a fabulous summer dish that you can easily prepare in advance and cook in just a few minutes.
The squid or calamari is stuffed with the aromatic flavours of garlic, ginger and chilli, mixed with prawns and crab. Then it's quickly grilled or griddled for a delicious low fat meal.
It's just so easy.
Bon appétit!
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This is a family favourite in my house and for good reason too!
Firstly, I've used frozen squid tubes and prawns as it's cheaper than fresh and works perfectly. Better still, a tin of crab meat is all that is needed, as it goes a long way.
It's so easy to make the filling and get the squid stuffed in advance if you are entertaining, then it takes just less than 10 minutes to cook on a barbecue or griddle.
Best of all, each portion is only 263 calories!
❤️ Why you will love this dish
- Prepare in advance.
- Great for bbq, grilling or griddling.
- Easy to vary the flavours.
- Only 263 calories a portion
- Delicious as a starter or main course.
- Uses frozen calamari and prawns and crab from a tin.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Squid tubes - calamari tubes cleaned and defrosted if frozen. An average squid tube is about 18 cm long, but sizes in the supermarket vary in size, so you would need 4 of this size for 4 people. If they are smaller, you might need to allocate 2 or more per person instead.
- Prawns - use frozen and defrosted cooked prawns. There's no need to use expensive prawns as they will be chopped up. Small, cheaper prawns or shrimp are fine.
- Crab - use fresh if you want but canned crab works well in this recipe.
- Shrimp paste - this really enhances the flavour of the fish.
- Shallots - long shallots are easier to peel and add a mild flavour.
- Garlic - garlic cloves.
- Ginger - fresh or frozen ginger. There's no need to peel it.
- Red chillies - I've used long finger chillies.
- Lime - zest and juice.
- Oil - olive or vegetable oil for grilling.
- Coriander - fresh coriander. Use the leaves and the stalks.
The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.
🍽 Equipment
- griddle pan or grill
- cocktail sticks
- sharp knife
- chopping board
- mixing bowl
- grater/zester
- juicer
🔪 Instructions
Peel the garlic and shallot.
Finely chop the shallots, garlic, ginger, chillies and coriander.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the shallot and ginger until softened for a few minutes.
Now add the garlic and chillies for about a minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Chop the prawns and add the drained tinned crab, lime zest and juice, shrimp paste and the softened vegetables in a large bowl.
Mix everything together.
Carefully fill the squid tubes with the mixture, but don't pack it too tight.
Leave a good space at the the end so that you can secure with cocktail sticks.
⏲️ Cooking Time
Heat a griddle pan or barbecue and brush with oil. Cook over a medium to high heat for about 2 minutes or only until cooked through and opaque.
Eat immediately while they are warm.
I like to sprinkle over a few extra chillies and coriander and serve with extra lime.
I hope you like this recipe as much as we do!
💭 Top Tips
- To avoid waste I buy a bag of chillies or grow them and put them in a bag in the freezer. Take out what you need and slice or chop from frozen. This works for ginger too. Just cut it into 3cm chunks and grate it directly into curries or your recipe. It is much easier to grate when it's frozen as it doesn't clog the grater.
- If you are using frozen fish, make sure that it is fully defrosted and dried with kitchen towel, otherwise the filling will be too wet.
- If you are using small prawns or shrimp leave them whole to add some texture.
- Add a splash of soy sauce to the pan, when the squid is almost cooked to give it extra colour and flavour.
🥗 Side Dishes
Try serving with some of these salads.
- Raw Mushroom Salad
- Cherry Tomato and Feta Salad
- Fennel and Pear Salad
- Tomato and Onion Salad
- Asian Coleslaw
- Edamame Salad
- Celeriac Remoulade
- Courgette and Mint Salad
🥙 Substitutions
- Crab - used poached and flaked salmon.
- Shallots - use spring onions, but there is no need to cook them.
- Fish paste - use a teaspoon of fish sauce or leave it out.
📖 Variations
- Herbs - use dill, tarragon or parsley.
🍣 Storage
- Refrigerator - cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Freezer - not suitable for freezing.
- Reheat - add a little oil to a pan and fry over a medium heat for a few minutes.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- Make the stuffing and fill the calamari tubes a few hours in advance.
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais
More seafood recipes to try
📋 Recipe
Stuffed Calamari with Prawn and Crab
Equipment
- griddle pan or grill
- cocktail sticks
- sharp knife
- chopping board
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 500 g squid tubes 4 about 20cm long
For the stuffing
- 200 g cooked prawns rough chopped
- 120 g crab drained weight 120g
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 3 cm piece of ginger finely chopped
- 2 long red chillies chopped
- 1 lime zest and juice
- 2 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- Finely chop the ginger, garlic, shallots, chillies and coriander. Chop the prawns. Zest and juice the lime.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan and fry the shallot and ginger until softened for a few minutes. Now add the garlic and chillies for about a minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- In a large bowl add the prawns and drained tinned crab, lime zest and juice, shrimp paste and the softened vegetables. Mix everything together.
- Carefully fill the squid tubes with the mixture, but don't pack it too tight. Leave a good space at the end so that you can secure with cocktail sticks.
- Heat a griddle pan or barbecue and brush with the remaining oil. Cook over a medium to high heat for about 2-3 minutes each side or only until cooked through and opaque.
Notes
- To avoid waste I buy a bag of chillies or grow them and put them in a bag in the freezer. Take out what you need and slice or chop from frozen. This works for ginger too. Just cut it into 3cm chunks and grate it directly into curries or your recipe. It is much easier to grate when it's frozen as it doesn't clog the grater.
- If you are using frozen fish, make sure that it is fully defrosted and dried with kitchen towel, otherwise the filling will be too wet.
- If you are using small prawns or shrimp, leave them whole to add some texture.
- Add a splash of soy sauce to the pan, when the squid is almost cooked, to give it extra colour and flavour.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
More seafood recipes
- Crab Canapés20 Minutes
- Crab Pâté3 Minutes
- Cod Cheeks and Chorizo15 Minutes
- Salmon Meunière with Browned Butter15 Minutes
🍲 Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties.
However, due to spam comments, I do have to moderate each one, so don't worry if you cannot see your comment immediately. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can.
Amanda
Thanks Lesli. I hope you love it!
Amanda
Thanks Beth. They are my favourite flavours too.
Beth Neels
All of my favorite seafood flavors in one convenient package! I just can't wait to try this one! Yum!
Lesli Schwartz
Man oh man! I love this recipe! I adore squid and everything stuffed inside. Will be trying this one for sure!
Amanda
Thanks Kristina. It's a great combination of flavours.
Amanda
Thanks Brian. It's definitely worth trying when you track down the squid!
Amanda
Thanks Michelle. It's one of my favourite dishes.
Brian Jones
Welcome to my food heaven, I adore seafood and this is packed to the gunnels with all my favourite flavours to add to seafood. Now I am on the hunt for squid!!!!!!!!
Michelle
I love this unique way of preparing squid. The seafood stuffing is amazing! Great flavors.
Amanda
Thanks Julia. You have to try this!
Amanda
Thanks Laura. Stuffed squid is so good!
Laura
Great revamp, no doubts. And I can see why you were dancing in the aisles - it's not that often that you see squid tubes 20 cm long. Good for you!
Amanda
Thanks Jessica. It's a real favourite at home.
Julia
Never tried stuffed squid but I like what I see! 🙂
Demeter
This sounds so full of flavor! A wonderful change for any dinner routine.
Kristina
You definitely out did yourself with this recipe, all those spices and ingredients packed into a fresh seafood dish, amazing!!! Thanks for sharing!
Jessica
This is a total seafood smorgasbord! It looks so delicious and I can’t wait to try it this weekend!
Amanda
Thanks Beth. We've pinched the French tradition of fish on Christmas Eve too. This dish will be perfect!
Amanda
Thanks so much. I think those flavours go so well with seafood.
Amanda
Thanks Claudia. I am hoping this recipe will convert you!
Claudia Canu
I'm not a huge fan of squid but I might try this recipe because it does look yummy! Thank you for sharing it!
Lesli Schwartz
Definitely going to try this recipe! I just love squid and it's stuffed with all of my faves! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Beth Neels
I can't wait to try this! My uncle's mother was an immigrant from Italy and always used to serve fish and seafood on Christmas Eve! This would be fun to do! Thanks for the inspiration!
Amanda
Thanks Jagruti. Yes, I think I managed to cram a lot of ingredients into these!
Jagruti Dhanecha
I like how you have used all the spices and herbs in this amazing seafood recipe, seafood lovers must try this recipe.
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I know you like crab and squid so I hope you like it! Thanks John.
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Thanks John! I know you like squid. Hope you like it.
ChgoJohn
This is a seafood feast wrapped in calamari YUM! I'm fortunate in that I can find squid of just about any size, although the larger sizes are frozen. Even so, I think I may buy some. This dish of yours is one I must try. Thanks for sharing.