Adventure in calamari

Recipes: Sauteed calamari steak with prawns and sausage

I get into ruts just like everyone else. Suddenly I'm tired of chicken - it can seem like I've eaten chicken four times a week forever. It's time for something new! Yet, it's hard to break out of the old routines. After all, you can cook some things without really thinking. You have all of the ingredients, all the time. It's so easy. Well, now and then you just have to change things up to keep cooking interesting. You have to be adventurous! Lately I've been trying some new dishes with calamari steak - my Adventure in Calamari, if you will.

Calamari Steak with Prawns and Sausage

It used to be, in years past, that abalone was the thing everyone wanted to eat. Our friends went diving for abalones along the California coast. Abalone was tender and unbelievably delicious, and precious, it turns out, because soon they nearly disappeared. Unfortunately, they were too popular. Today, abalone is hard to come by and very expensive. Enter calamari steak, which is similar in taste and texture, and oh-so-delicious too.

Calamari steak, also known as squid steak, can be found at good meat and fish counters. It is the same sea creature, but not in the same form, as squid tubes, which are often sliced, coated in batter, and fried. You may have to ask your butcher for it - mine keeps calamari steak in the freezer as not many people know to ask for it.

The secret to cooking calamari, whether steak or tube slices, is to either cook it quickly or for a very long time. Anything in-between produces a rubbery texture, which is unpleasant. When I made it, I cooked it quickly and combined it with prawns, which also need to be sauteed quickly. It was fabulous over brown rice, which I made first and let sit covered while the fish cooked.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 calamari steak
• 12 medium prawns, shelled
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon capers
• lemon wedges
• two mild or hot chicken Italian sausages (delicious in this dish, but optional)

Cut the calamari steak into inch-wide strips. Set aside.

Toss the prawns with a little salt and pepper and the sugar. Set aside.

Slice the raw sausages and set aside. They are easier to slice if partially frozen.

Just a few minutes before you're ready to serve dinner, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the sausage first, and saute a few minutes until no longer raw. Add the capers, the calamari steak strips, and the prawns. Stir for a minute. Add the red pepper flakes, if using. Stir to saute all sides quickly.  Prawns and calamari should be opaque - their total cooking time should be no more than 3 minutes.

Serve over brown or white rice, or a combination with wild rice, with lemon wedges for squeezing and a salad or other vegetable.