“I love squid! Grilled, crumbed, fried, stuffed.. if it’s on a menu, its in my mouth! Remember, I grew up in South Africa, so we pretty much had excellently-prepared calamari at any restaurant, 365 days a year. I live in the UK now, so I sadly have to settle on what we all have access to: frozen squid tubes at supermarkets. It’s not ideal, they are smaller and not what I am accustomed to, but this recipe is fantastic and will make a lovely appetiser for two. Enjoy!” – Monya
Fats of Life® is a keto and low carb recipe blog that I love to run as a hobby in my spare time. I am also the author of the best-selling Keto Kitchen Series of cookbooks. This includes my debut best-seller Keto Kitchen (2020). The fun and exciting Lazy Keto Kitchen (2021). And, the clever and inspiring Budget Keto Kitchen (2022). My 4th cookbook, Quick Keto Kitchen (2023) is as fantastic as the first three, and packed with spectacular, easy creations!
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More on Stuffed Squid…
Stuffed squid is a delightful culinary creation that combines the ocean’s bounty with a medley of rich, flavourful ingredients. In this recipe, I use a mixture of cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, lemon zest, and pine nuts. This stuffing is not only tasty but offers an array of nutritional benefits.
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Cream cheese, with its creamy texture, provides a luscious base for the stuffing. It contributes calcium, protein, and healthy fats to the dish, supporting bone health and muscle function. Sun-dried tomatoes add a burst of umami flavour and are packed with antioxidants like lycopene. Lycopene has been known to help combat free radicals in the body. Feta cheese introduces tanginess and is a good source of calcium and protein.
Lemon zest provides a zesty freshness, while pine nuts offer a satisfying crunch. Pine nuts are rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, magnesium, and vitamin E. This all contribute to overall cardiovascular well-being.
When these ingredients come together within the tender embrace of squid, they form a harmonious blend of taste and nutrition. This delectable dish is a fun and wholesome choice for seafood enthusiasts.
It is important to note that to maintain ketosis, it’s essential to track carbohydrate intake and ensure it aligns with your daily macro goals. Consulting with a healthcare professional is advised before making significant dietary changes. Scroll to the bottom to see the full macros and allergens for this Stuffed Squid dish, as well as all the Seafood on Fats of Life®.
Stuffed Squid
Per serving
Equipment
Ingredients
- 200 g (7.1 oz) raw squid tubes with tentacles, *see note below
- 30 g (1.1 oz) pine kernels
- 2 TB unsalted butter, or lard
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 lemon
- 40 g (1.4 oz) sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
- 60 g (2.1 oz) full-fat cream cheese (soft cheese)
- 50 g (1.8 oz) full-fat feta cheese
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- * The weight of the raw squid as indicated in the ingredients is the weight after defrosting (if frozen) and any sludge removed from the inside of each squid tube. Frozen seafood often contains a "protective ice glaze" which is frustrating as it shows an inaccurate weight. Clean the tubes, slide out and discard any sludge and pat the squid dry before weighing.
- To prep the squid, pull off the little fins/wings from the tubes. Keep the tentacles separate.
- Finely chop the tentacles (discarding the little 'cartilage-type' hard piece at the base) as well as the little fins/wings, as pictured. Set aside while you make the filling.
- Toast the pine kernels in a hot, dry pan until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool. Once cool, chop them into smaller pieces.
- Using the same pan, heat one tablespoon butter (or lard) and lightly fry the chopped tentacle mixture and the finely chopped garlic for about a minute. Use a microplane to finely grate the lemon zest into the mixture. Halve the lemon and squeeze only the juice from one half into the pan to deglaze (catch the pips!). Stir to combine and remove the pan from the heat.
- With the pan off the heat, add the chopped pine kernels along with the finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, cream cheese and feta. Use a silicon spatula to break up the feta and allow the cheese to melt and combine into the mixture in the residual heat of the pan. Season the mixture with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (fan oven). This is 190°C for conventional ovens (or 375°F / gas mark 5). Soak a few toothpicks in some water.
- Fill a piping bag (fitted with a large, round nozzle) with the cream cheese mixture. Carefully fill each squid tube with the mixture until a little over three-quarters full. Use a toothpick in each to secure the top closed, in much the same way you would pin a hem.
- To cook, heat the second tablespoon butter (or lard) in a griddle pan and fry the stuffed squid until lightly charred on all sides. (If you choose to make these on the BBQ, simply brush a little olive oil directly onto the squid before placing on the grill.)
- Transfer the charred squid onto a tray and place in the oven for 10-12 minutes to ensure they have all cooked through sufficiently and the stuffing is warmed through and melting.
- Be careful when serving as the centres can be very hot. Allow to cool slightly, then slide out the toothpicks and serve on a sharing platter. These can be prepped and stuffed ahead of time before cooking (stored covered in the fridge).
My name is Monya Kilian Palmer. If you loved this recipe, please follow and tag me @mkilianpalmer on Instagram so we can all see your lovely creations!
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The links above will take you to Amazon UK. For USA and other countries, see the global Amazon links here: Keto Kitchen ; Lazy Keto Kitchen ; Budget Keto Kitchen ; Quick Keto Kitchen.
Nutritional Information per servingCalories 539Kcal / 2255kJ
Fat 47g
Carbohydrates 4.5g
Protein 24g
Allergens
Milk
Molluscs
Sulphites (may be found in sun-dried tomatoes - check label)
Eggs (may be found in some brands of cream cheese - check label)
See all the Seafood dishes on Fats of Life:
Disclaimer: The nutritional analysis, macro and allergen breakdown of the recipes on this site have been manually and carefully calculated using the cloud-based software NUTRITICS®. NUTRITICS® is fully approved by the relevant Trading Standards organizations and is EU and FDA-compliant. The macro calculations are provided as a courtesy to you based on the author's weighing of ingredients when creating the dishes. If Erythritol (a sugar polyol) has been used in any of the recipes, it has already been manually excluded from the final carbohydrate count. The author is a chef - not a medical professional - and this website has been designed to provide you with recipe ideas to suit the low carb lifestyle you have discussed with your GP.
1 Comment
Drop me a line if you have any questions or comments about this recipe. I will do my best to reply as soon as possible! Monya xxx