Baby calamari salad with harissa

Chef Ian Bergh - Pure - Hout Bay Manor

Baby calamari salad with harissa, cherry tomatoes, chorizo sausage, rocket and aioli; A South African recipe by Chef Ian Bergh from restaurant Pure at the Hout Bay Manor near Cape Town.

Ingredients

200g baby calamari, cleaned
1 punnet cherry tomatoes cut in half
200g chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
100g rocket
2 spring onion, sliced

For the harissa
1 red pepper, roasted with pips and skin removed
2 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp paprika
1 lemon, juiced
1//2 cup olive oil
½ tsp salt

For the aioli
100ml mayonnaise
1 lemon, juice
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Method

Firstly make the harissa paste. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend to a paste, remove from the blender and set aside. Now make the aioli. Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and mix well and set aside.
Now mix the calamari with 5 tbsp of the harissa in small mixing bowl. Place a large frying pan over a high heat and add a generous splash of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot fry of the calamari in batches making sure the paste does not burn. Each batch should take about 30 seconds or until the calamari tubes open up. Ste aside and keep warm.
Using a large salad bowl combine the rocket, calamari, tomatoes and chorizo, drizzle with the aioli and sprinkle with the spring onion.

Serve immediately. This recipe serves 4