Grilled Squid

I have to admit that grilled squid is not a food item that has been on my to do list. I mean, it's not like I have been reading cookbooks and dreaming of cooking a big ol' squid one day. But what are you supposed to do when stuff just arrives at your door? The truth is my stepson, Eric, went fishing and he caught a slew of big calamari or squid, we don't really know what they are. All we know is that they are really really good!

I pulled several of my cookbooks and read all I could about squid and what to do with it, and what not to do with it. I will tell you there are some very strange recipes out there. The more I read the more I started to understand how to handle it, how tough it can get, how using really simple good ingredients could make for a delicious dish. I decided to keep it as simple as possible however I really was not sure if it was going to come out edible or not. Just in case it was a total disaster I decided to make some pasta with it, that way we could fill up on the pasta if the squid did not work out.

It turns out I had nothing to worry about. The end result was so surprisingly delicious we can't wait to make it again. Thank goodness Eric brought us enough for several meals. Thanks Eric!!!!

You must start with clean fresh fish. If you buy it the fishmonger will clean it for you. I was concerned that it would be tough so I pounded mine between two sheets of plastic wrap. If you do this be very careful as it does break down and will fall apart if overworked. I then marinated it for 20 to 30 minutes. Don't let it sit any longer than 30 minutes. The lemon can make the fish break down if I sits on there too long. Put the squid in a dish or platter for marinating.

The marinade and sauce:

• 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/3 cup very good quality olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried Oregano
• Fresh cracked pepper

Now that the fish is all prepared, use 2/3 of the marinade to cover the fish. Marinate for 20 minutes.

Prepare the grill. You want a very hot grill and you want to cook the fish very quickly. Cook the fish 1 1/2 minutes per side. No longer. It overcooks very quickly and will get tough. Take it off the heat and allow it to sit for a couple of minutes. The residual heat will continue to cook the fish slightly.

Use the remaining 1/3 of the marinade to drizzle over the cooked fish. Serve.

It is tender, and it tastes of the sea, no salt is needed, and the lemon is wonderful. Because this is so simple you can see why the quality of the olive oil is very important.

Watch your dining partners eyes roll back in his head and be sure to pour the wine. Cheers!