Ay, Cantabria!
Land of anchovies and bonito;
of ties, quesadas and sobaos;
of Tudanca cows, lebaniegos stews and mountaineers;
and, above all, land of rabas.
Whoever does not have a few appetizers here is that they have not been to Cantabria, that is the case, and that is because the ones in places like Taberna La Radio, Días Desur or La Tucho are essential.
They are tender and crunchy and have their own idiosyncrasy that takes them away from the classic and well-known Roman squid.
Raba was the term by which the Cantabrian fishermen of the s.
XVIII knew the cured octopus legs.
They were consumed in large quantities in Santander taverns, battered and fried, and already at that time they were one of the most typical foods in the city.
So much so that Alfonso XIII himself went to the north exclusively to try this delicacy.
Little by little, the octopus became more expensive and that was when it was replaced by magano (squid), cachón (cuttlefish) and squid, always imitating the long and narrow shape that had previously characterized the tentacles of the octopus.
This is the curious historical reason why the squid is cut lengthwise to the squid tube, and not into rings.
A clean, crunchy and tasty frying is the key to obtaining this dish that represents the Cantabrians and who have defended so much tooth and nail;
a simple recipe in which all you need are good ingredients.
The fewer ingredients and treatment a dish has, the better the products have to be to make it perfect: in this case squid, flour and oil.
You have to take advantage of the last relics of summer to get a good squid, clean it and fry it with wheat flour -or chickpea flour, which is also very crunchy- in mild olive oil.
The trick of the almendruco is to immerse the squid already cut in milk or sparkling water a few hours before, so they are more tender and also spread better with the flour.
It is fried, it drains well and to the plate, that the raba has to be eaten hot, fresh from the frying, to be able to enjoy it crispy inside and out since otherwise, they remain rubbery and soft.
Difficulty
The one to find good ingredients.
Ingredients
For 4 people, as an aperitif
3 medium / large squid (about 800 g)
150 gr of wheat flour
50 gr chickpea flour
300 ml of mild olive oil
500 ml of milk or sparkling water
Salt
Preparation
Clean the squid well: remove the skin and fins.
Take out the pen and open it in the shape of a book to remove, with the help of a damp cloth, the small cloth inside.
Dry well.
Cut lengthwise, to the size that we like the most, and let it rest in the milk or water, in the fridge, for 2-4 hours.
Drain well and go through flour using a sieve.
It is important so that there is no excess flour and lumps can form.
Fry in plenty of hot oil (around 190º) for about a minute and a half, or until golden brown.
Remove with a slotted spoon and pass through absorbent paper before serving.
Finish with the salt on top and serve -or not- with a lemon wedge nearby.
If you make this recipe, share the result on your social networks with the hashtag #RecetasComidista. And if it goes wrong, complain to the Chef's Ombudsman by sending an email to defensoracomidista@gmail.com.
