Salt and Pepper Squid at Home: The Crispy Calamari Trend Everyone Is Cooking

TL;DR Crispy salt and pepper squid has become one of the most cooked seafood dishes at home in 2026. With fresh squid tubes and a hot pan it takes about 25 minutes, and the only real trick is cooking it fast so it stays tender.

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Why Everyone Is Frying Squid Again

Salt and pepper squid used to be a thing you ordered out. In 2026 it is one of the most made seafood dishes in home kitchens, and the reason is simple: it is cheap, fast, and endlessly shareable. A plate of golden, crisp calamari with a squeeze of lemon is the kind of dish that disappears in minutes, whether it is a starter, a snack with drinks, or piled into a bowl with aioli.

The Gold Coast has the squid to back it up. Fresh squid and calamari are abundant locally, and freshness is everything here, since good squid fried fast is sweet and tender, while old squid turns to rubber no matter how you cook it.

Choosing Your Squid

Squid tubes are the shortcut. They come cleaned, so you just slice, score and cook. They are the easiest entry point and what most people reach for.

Whole southern calamari and medium whole squid are a step up in flavour if you are happy to clean them, and calamari in particular is prized for being especially sweet and tender.

If you want the absolute fastest route, ready made salt and pepper squid and pineapple cut squid fillets only need cooking through. For something different, cleaned cuttlefish takes the same treatment and eats beautifully.

The Method

Start with dry squid, because moisture is the enemy of crisp. If you are using tubes, slice them open, score the inside in a light crosshatch so they curl and stay tender, then cut into bite size pieces and pat very dry.

Toss the squid in cornflour or rice flour seasoned generously with salt, white pepper and a little five spice. Fry in small batches in hot oil for one to two minutes only, until pale gold. Drain on paper towel, hit it with a pinch more salt and a squeeze of lemon, and serve straight away.

The one rule that matters: squid cooks in seconds. Pull it the moment the coating is crisp. Crowding the pan or cooking too long is what makes calamari chewy.

Sauces and Sides

Salt and pepper squid lives on its dips. Set out garlic aioli, tartare sauce and sriracha mayo, and plenty of lemon wedges. It works as a starter, as finger food with drinks, or as a main piled over a fresh salad. A bowl of fresh chilli and spring onion fried in the last of the oil and scattered over the top takes it to the next level.

Where to Source It

Tasman Star stocks squid tubes, whole southern calamari, cleaned squid and cuttlefish, all turned around fast so the squid you fry is sweet and fresh rather than tough. The team at Labrador and Varsity Lakes can clean whole squid into tubes for you if you would rather skip that step.

Browse fresh squid and calamari and order online for Gold Coast delivery.