What better way to say "I heart you" on Valentines Day then with chocolate covered squid?
I happened to be cooking some squid today and realized that in just a few simple steps I could make some really awesome and super romantic squid chocolates. It took only a minute to boil the squid and then just a few more minutes to coat them in a delicious spicy chocolate mixture. I actually ended up eating my seafood chocolates instead of giving them to my valentine, but its probably for the best, because I don't think squid travel very well in the mail system.
I happened to be cooking some squid today and realized that in just a few simple steps I could make some really awesome and super romantic squid chocolates. It took only a minute to boil the squid and then just a few more minutes to coat them in a delicious spicy chocolate mixture. I actually ended up eating my seafood chocolates instead of giving them to my valentine, but its probably for the best, because I don't think squid travel very well in the mail system.
Covering squid in chocolate is actually pretty easy and quick.
The Squid
Instructables gourmet chef and experimentor Canida let me use some extra squid she happened to have. You can buy squid at some super markets and at most fish stores. Squid are cheap, so these one of a kind chocolates won't cost a bundle unlike some other "seafood" chocolates out there on the market. If you get them pre-cleaned it will save you some time.
Each chocolate is made from the tentacles of one squid. You can cut the body of the squid up into little rounds to make more. I got two sets of squid tentacles from Canida and one squid body section so I made three squid chocolates in total.
I took my squid bits and threw them into some boiling water for a minute or two. Cook your squid however you like. I didn't want to impart too much flavor onto the squid during the cooking process so I thought boiling them would be a good route. The squid cook really fast, so as soon as you see them turning white and firming up its time to take them out of the water and let them cool.
The Chocolate
I made my chocolate sauce by melting half a chocolate bar spiced with chili together with about a tablespoon of butter. You can use heavy cream here if you like, or just use the chocolate straight, but I find that diluting it with something helps it flow better. Higher chocolate to butter ratios will yield thicker chocolate while lower ones will make the sauce thinner. I chose to use about twice as much chocolate as butter.
Put the chocolate mixture into the microwave and cook it in 15 second bursts, stirring in between, until the butter and the chocolate are melted. Remove the sauce and stir it until everything is mixed together evenly.
The Squid
Instructables gourmet chef and experimentor Canida let me use some extra squid she happened to have. You can buy squid at some super markets and at most fish stores. Squid are cheap, so these one of a kind chocolates won't cost a bundle unlike some other "seafood" chocolates out there on the market. If you get them pre-cleaned it will save you some time.
Each chocolate is made from the tentacles of one squid. You can cut the body of the squid up into little rounds to make more. I got two sets of squid tentacles from Canida and one squid body section so I made three squid chocolates in total.
I took my squid bits and threw them into some boiling water for a minute or two. Cook your squid however you like. I didn't want to impart too much flavor onto the squid during the cooking process so I thought boiling them would be a good route. The squid cook really fast, so as soon as you see them turning white and firming up its time to take them out of the water and let them cool.
The Chocolate
I made my chocolate sauce by melting half a chocolate bar spiced with chili together with about a tablespoon of butter. You can use heavy cream here if you like, or just use the chocolate straight, but I find that diluting it with something helps it flow better. Higher chocolate to butter ratios will yield thicker chocolate while lower ones will make the sauce thinner. I chose to use about twice as much chocolate as butter.
Put the chocolate mixture into the microwave and cook it in 15 second bursts, stirring in between, until the butter and the chocolate are melted. Remove the sauce and stir it until everything is mixed together evenly.