Oat Cuttlefish

Hubby used to eat a similar dish in one of the Balkan countries during his business trip. Since he loves seafood, especially cuttlefish, I prepared this dish using ground oats and cornflour.  As a dip, I prepared a mixture of mayonnaise, minced garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and sweet paprika powder.  For those who are calories-concious, this dish also tastes good without the dip.

Ingredients:
500 g cuttlefish tubes
4 tbsp oat i.e. Quaker Oats, to be grounded
3 tbsp cornflour
1/2 tsp salt or according to taste
1 tsp ground black pepper
oil for deep-frying

Dip Ingredients:
150 g mayonnaise
2 pips garlic, to be peeled & minced
zest from half lemon
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sweet or hot paprika powder

Method:

In a bowl, mix all dip ingredients together.  Leave aside.

Wash and dry cuttlefish.  Cut one side of cuttlefish tube and open it up with the inside side facing up. Using a sharp knife, lightly make diamond cuts.  Cut into 3 cm strips and then cut the strips into 3.

In a bowl, add cornflour, oat, salt and ground black pepper.  Coat cuttlefish pieces in this mixture and leave aside.

In a wok, heat enough oil for deep-frying over medium/high heat.  Drop a few cuttlefish pieces at a time and deep-fry for about 2-3 minutes.  Remove to a tray lined with absorbent paper.  Repeat procedure.  Serve hot with dip.

Bon Appetit!