Grilled squid with chickpeas & pancetta

Name: Grilled squid with chickpeas & pancetta
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 8 thin slices of pancetta or smoked streaky bacon; vegetable oil, for brushing; 1 small mild red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped; 4 medium-sized squid, each about 200 g; 160 g (drained weight) good-quality canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained; 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley; 1 red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped; 100 g rocket, preferably wild; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2 tsp sweet chilli sauce; 2 large shallots, finely chopped; 1 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves; about 125 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to dress; finely grated zest of ½ lime

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Fish etc.

By Mark Hix

Published 2004

About

Squid make perfect barbecue material, and are good for a summery lunch or dinner party. The squid needs to be cleaned, leaving the body tubes whole, with the tentacles cut just above the eyes so they stay attached to each other.

Ingredients

4 medium-sized squid, each about 200 g
vegetable oil, for brushing
8 thin slices

Main course
Dinner
Lunch
Starter
Summer
Gluten-free

Method

To make the chickpea salsa, heat the olive oil in a saucepan and gently cook the shallots, chilli, pepper and lime zest for a few minutes until soft, but not allowing them to colour. Add the chickpeas, stir well and remove from the heat. Stir in the chilli sauce and fresh herbs, season with salt and pepper and set aside. If the salsa seems a bit dry, dress it with a little