Crispy squid with garlic mayonnaise

Description

I prefer to eat a massive amount of this, and nothing else, rather than have it more meanly as a starter. But it would happily stretch to four people, ready to dunk each crisp piece of squid into the garlic mayonnaise over pre-dinner drinks.

Ingredients

For the crispy squid
250ml/9fl oz groundnut oil, or enough to one-third fill a deep heavy-based pan
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp semolina
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning (available from some specialist shops and online stores, or use a mixture of salt and ground paprika)
250g/9oz frozen squid (tubes and tentacles), to give 200g/7oz when defrosted, cut into 1cm/½in rings
For the garlic mayonnaise
¼-½ garlic clove, crushed, to taste
4 tbsp best-quality mayonnaise

Method

1. For the crispy squid, place the oil into a deep, heavy-based saucepan and heat until a small cube of bread sizzles and turns golden when dropped into it. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
2. While the oil's heating, place the cornflour, semolina and seasoning into a plastic freezer bag.
3. Add the squid rings and tentacles to the bag and shake gently to coat the squid completely.
4. When the oil is hot enough, fry the squid in batches until golden and crisp - a couple of minutes per batch is all you should need. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
5. Meanwhile, for the garlic mayonnaise, stir the crushed garlic into the mayonnaise.
6. To serve, place the crispy squid onto a serving plate with the mayonnaise in a small bowl alongside.