Simple Spanish recipe: Chipirones a la plancha

Ok so I know this picture is a bit blurry and I apologize but it is the final result of my having cooked chipirones a la plancha for the first time. Let me explain, chipirones are small squid and a la plancha means grilled. They are served in an olive oil, parsley and garlic sauce. At first I wasn't sold on the idea of this recipe but believe me, it is pretty awesome and super healthy. It is a really typical tapa that you can order at almost any bar here in the south of Spain. Chipirones a la plancha is usually served on a bed of lettuce or with a small side salad. Yum!

Here's the how:

First you need the chipirones (small squid that come with the heads and tentacles attached). I can buy them at my local grocery store in the fresh seafood section. I bought a package of 400 grams though the good thing about this recipe is that you can make as much or as little as you like. Allow me to also explain that here in Spain people tend to eat a lot more fish and seafood than in the USA. Since I have good more or less paleo lately, I have been trying to incorporate more seafood into our diet.

You have to clean the chipirones by cutting off the heads (which I tossed) and removing the guts (also into the trash). I cut some small slits into the bodies to help them cook thoroughly and cut off the tentacles to also be cooked. 

To cook the chipirones you need a frying pan or in my case I used our grill pan which we bought from IKEA and has been a work horse in our kitchen. You need to make a cooking sauce with olive oil, garlic and parsley. I used my hand immersion blender to mix together a couple of garlic cloves, about a half a cup of olive oil (from Jose's family's oil co-op) and about a tablespoon of dried parsley. I really just eye-balled how much I figured I would need to cook the squid without frying it and still have enough left over for a sauce.

Cook the chipirones for about 3 minutes and then flip them over and repeat. In the picture you can see the bodies that are separated from the tentacles. You can eat both and though the texture at first might take some getting used to, I really enjoy this meal. Remove the squids from the heat, serve with a small salad and pour over some of the cooking sauce. It really is that easy. I also recommend pairing with a glass of chilled white wine. Buen provecho!