Name: Grilled Squid Durban
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: South Africa
Ingredients: 3 stalks fresh lemongrass, trimmed and thinly sliced, or 3 strips lemon zest (each 2 by ½ inches), removed with a vegetable peeler; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 1 to 3 serrano or jalapeño peppers, seeded (for hotter squid, leave the seeds in); 2 teaspoons coriander seeds; 3 cloves garlic, peeled; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste; ½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste; ¾ cup coconut milk, canned or homemade; ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves; Lime wedges, for serving; ½ small onion, peeled; 1 piece (1 inch) peeled fresh ginger; 2 pounds cleaned squid, including tentacles

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Barbecue Bible

By Steven Raichlen

Published 1998

About

You probably know that South Africa’s culinary roots go back to England, Holland, and, of course, Africa. What you may not realize is that many cities, like the east coast port of Durban, boast large Indian and Malaysian communities—a throwback to the days when Asian laborers were brought there to work in the gold and diamond mines. These grilled squid have the gustatory fireworks you’d associate with India or Southeast Asia. The scoring of the surface of the squid prior to marinating is op