Description
The king of stalls: a giant whole squid skewered, snipped with scissors, and boldly grilled over charcoal while repeatedly brushed with a sweet/savory Shacha-based sauce.
Restaurants serving Grilled Whole Squid
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We are researching restaurants that serve this dish.
On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Whole squid
- Shacha sauce
- Thick soy sauce
- Sugar
- Five-spice powder
- Garlic
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- Gut a fresh giant squid (thick ones like spear squid) and leave whole. Insert a bamboo skewer straight through vertically.
- [Sauce] Mix thick soy sauce (Jiangyou Gao), Shacha sauce, garlic, sugar, five-spice, and white pepper into a 'special grilling sauce'.
- Place squid on a charcoal grill and sear.
- As heat shrinks it, the stall vendor uses scissors to make deep horizontal cuts evenly along the body from both sides (to let sauce cling and make it easy to eat).
- Brush the special sauce thickly and repeatedly.
- Sauce drips onto charcoal, sizzling smoke rises. Done when the squid forms a glossy, caramelized char. Optionally sprinkle white sesame or chili powder.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Five-spice and Shacha sauce savoriness
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Japanese grilled whole squid (soy base)
Pairing
Cold Taiwan Beer or Lemon Green Tea
Trivia
[Trend] A signature menu in coastal spots like Tamsui or Cijin, and Shilin Night Market. The sauce is intensely sweeter than Japanese grilled squid and spiced with five-spice, tasting completely like an 'exotic junk food'.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Bite off pieces from the scissor cuts, walking the port town while filling your mouth with the charcoal smell and sweet five-spice aroma!
Allergen
Squid, Soy, Shrimp (from Shacha), Wheat