Can I Use Frozen Squid For The Greek Squid And Orzo?

Our answer

Nigella's Greek Squid And Orzo (from SIMPLY NIGELLA) braises squid tubes with tomatoes, fennel and ouzo. The long, slow cooking process ensures that the squid becomes tender, and as it cooks the orzo absorbs the flavour of the braising liquid.

If you are going to use frozen squid then we suggest looking for frozen squid tubes that are not too large. Frozen squid rings are not as suitable as they could break up too miuch during cooking. We suspect that it is possible to use the tubes from frozen as the squid is cooked for a long time and so will be cooked through. When you add the squid to the pan at step 3 you will need to let the squid defrost slightly in the heat of the pan, turning the tubes a couple of times. Once the squid has softened then it will start to let out liquid and you can then braise the squid in these juices for 10 minutes before adding the tomatoes and orzo and transferring the pan to the oven.