It Has a Face!!!

I´ve never hesitated to try a dish at least once, whether or not that's a positive characteristic is something that I often ask myself. During my travels around the world I´ve eaten some extremely strange things, most notably in Australia and Trinidad and Tobago, and each experience, although incredibly disgusting, gave me new insight into how even the most strange and unexpected things can be used to make quite elaborate dishes. However, this week while out with a friend at one of my favorite haunts here in Murcia to hang around with the locals and relax over some tapas and cold beer, I was introduced to one of the more outwardly disturbing dishes that I´ve had in quite some time: Chopitos a la Andaluza. It´s not so much that the texture, the flavor, or the simple preparation of the dish makes my stomach turn; in fact, they have an absolutely fantastic flavor. However, looking down at my plate to see some thirty odd fried baby squid; tentacles, eyes, guts, and cuttle bones all intact, just freaked me out a little bit. It was something about their little beady black eyes that got to me. I remember quite some time ago in Virginia with my family, my mom had a similar experience involving a roasted duckling. It was cooked perfectly and smelled great; but there was just something about looking down at a tiny little duck carcass (her word choice, not mine) that didn´t sit well with her. So as I was at the restaurant exchanging strange glances across the table at my dining partner, wandering off into some form of deja vu, I had a complete "when in Rome" moment. I reluctantly picked up my lemon wedge (yes this was still in Murcia of course) covered my plate in lemon juice, dismissed all of my preconceived notions how squid should be prepared, and dug in. I picked up the first tiny little squid, couldn't resist my childish need to make swimming motions with it through the air, and popped it in my mouth. Despite the oddness of the whole experience my first observation was how absolutely fantastic they were. Perhaps it is the fact that they're whole which gives them such full flavor, but they were a world apart from some of the leathery fried calamari that I've tried in the past. They were so tender and juicy and imparted a flavor that was completely distinct from any other type of seafood that I've tried. Maybe it's the ink, the innards, or perhaps something as simple as the breading; but the depth of flavor that eminated from such a tiny little bite was astounding. I was just beginning to relax and enjoy myself as my teeth hit something boney and hard in the center. This was the cuttle bone of course, and I was instantly zapped back to the reality that I was indeed eating whole baby squid. I quickly blew through one whole plate and ordered another. My dining partner tried one, and she instantly refused to have anything to do with them, but I was in love. This just one more reason to always try something first, and ask what it is later. You quickly learn that even the strangest and most unappealing things, can change your whole outlook on what makes good food.

Recipe for Chopitos a la Andaluza

1.25 lbs. Chopitos (whole baby squid)
1 cup Olive Oil
1 Lemon
6 Tablespoons Flour (for frying if possible)
Salt to taste

1. Thoroughly wash the Chopitos leaving them whole. Lightly salt them and place them in a pasta strainer. Coat them well in flour (I might even recommend a bit of Old Bay or Spanish Paprika if desired). Shake off the excess flour.

2. Heat the Olive Oil to a high temperature in a deep pan. Fry the Chopitos in small batches until they are a golden brown color. Remove them from the pan and remove the excess oil using paper towels. Serve immediately with a large lemon wedge. Enjoy!