Recipe - Grilled Squid w/ Sumac and Mizuno Salad

An exotic recipe by my standards with sumac, an uncommon spice in the American kitchen, and Mizuna, a green that we never would have explored had it now shown up in our CSA basket.  Sumac is a purple berry with a slightly lemony flavor.  Ingrid and I first ran across sumac while dining in Seattle and were so taken with the flavorful addition to the side dish (roasted corn with butter and sumac), the sumac is now a staple of our spice cabinet.  Mizuna is a peppery green, close in flavor to arugula - a perfect foil for a lemony dressing and seafood.  Master the ingredients and cooking methods and this will become a regular dish on your menu.

Grilling Squid in Strainer in Charcoal Chimney

INGREDIENTS:

Grilled Squid:
1 lb. Cleaned Squid
1 - 1/2 tsp. Sumac
4 tbls. Olive Oil
Salt
Lemon

Mizuna Salad

4 c. Chopped Mizuna
4 tbls. Olive Oil
Lemon
Salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

(1) Slice the squid hoods into thin strips.  Place in a bowl with 1 tsp. sumac, 2 tblsp. olive oil, and salt.

(2) Start the grill.  The key to this dish to to have blistering heat.  I used a charcoal chimney, leaving the charcoal in the chimney, and a strainer for this purpose.

(3) Once the charcoal is fiery red, grill the squid in small batches for 1 - 2 minutes per batch until it is all done.   Once off the grill, add the remaining olive oil, sumac, and the juice of 1/2 lemon.

(4) Prepare the salad by combining Mizuna, olive oil, a few tablespoons of lemon juice, and salt.

Grilled Squid w/ Sumac and Mizuno Salad