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Choco frito
Fried cuttlefish with chips
Choco frito: Setúbal's garlic-marinated cuttlefish strips, fried crisp and served with chips
Across the river from Lisbon, the fishing port of Setúbal claims choco frito as its own, and there are whole streets of grill-houses serving it with chips, salad and lemon. Thick strips of cuttlefish are marinated in garlic, lemon and a little white wine, floured and fried until golden and tender. The wine contains alcohol; extra lemon juice with a splash of water does the job. A common mistake is frying too long: cuttlefish goes from tender to rubbery in a minute or two. Chef's tip: score the inside of the cuttlefish in a fine crisscross before cutting it into strips, so it stays tender and grips the flour.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 2 ¼ lb cuttlefishcleaned, ink sac and beak removed
- 4 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 lemonjuiced
- 3 ½ tbsp dry white wineor 1 extra tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- 1 bay leaf
To fry and serve
- 3 ½ oz plain flour
- 4 ¼ cups sunflower oilfor frying
- 1 lemon (optional)in wedges
- 4 portions chips and green salad (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rinse 2 ¼ lb cuttlefish and dry it. Score the inner side in a fine crisscross with a sharp knife, then cut into strips about 2 cm wide.
Step 2: Mix 4 cloves garlic, 1 lemon, 3 ½ tbsp dry white wine, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp sweet paprika and 1 bay leaf in a bowl, add the cuttlefish and toss. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or up to 6.
120 minStep 3: Heat 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil in a deep pan to 350°F, or until a pinch of flour sizzles at once.
8 minStep 4: Lift the strips out of the marinade, shake off the extra and toss them in 3 ½ oz plain flour, patting off the excess.
Step 5: Fry in small batches for 2–3 minutes, until pale golden and the strips are white and opaque all the way through when you cut one open.
10 minStep 6: Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with 1 lemon wedges and 4 portions chips and green salad if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does choco frito take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of lemon?
- Lime, or 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice per lemon (no zest from bottled juice).
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