The dish to eat in Santander · Spain

Rabas

Name: Rabas (Cantabrian fried squid)
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Spain
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb (680 g) whole squid, cleaned (bodies only, or bodies and tentacles); 1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour (or Spanish frying flour, harina de freír); 2 tbsp fine semolina or cornmeal, for extra crunch (optional); 1/2 tsp salt; About 4 cups (1 l) olive oil or sunflower oil, for frying; Flaky sea salt and lemon wedges, to serve

Photo: Uhanu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source

Strips of squid in a light, crisp flour coating, fried and eaten with lemon.

In Santander, Sunday means a ración of rabas at the bar before lunch: squid cut into strips, floured and fried until golden, with a glass of vermouth or a caña.

Where to eat it Cook it at home

Where to eat it: the best three in Santander

Bar del Puerto
Calle Hernán Cortés, near the port
Order: Rabas and a plate of local anchovies
A seafood bar near the fishing port, known for perfect frying.
Open in Maps
Cañadío
Calle Gómez Oreña, Plaza de Cañadío
Order: Rabas at the bar, then the cheesecake
A busy, much-loved restaurant and bar on the city's liveliest square.
Open in Maps
Taberna La Radio
Paseo del General Dávila
Order: Rabas and the croquetas
A neighborhood tavern with a big local following for its fried seafood.
Open in Maps

All three are on Chef Amazing’s list The best rabas in Santander, which you can save and take with you.

Cook it at home: Rabas (Cantabrian fried squid)

Serves 4Time 40 min

Cut the squid into strips, not rings, coat in plain flour (or a little cornmeal mixed in), and fry hot and fast. Sea salt and lemon, nothing else.

Pans and tools

Heavy pot or deep skillet
Deep-fry thermometer
Sieve
Slotted spoon or spider

You’ll need

1 1/2 lb (680 g) whole squid, cleaned (bodies only, or bodies and tentacles)
1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour (or Spanish frying flour, harina de freír)
2 tbsp fine semolina or cornmeal, for extra crunch (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
About 4 cups (1 l) olive oil or sunflower oil, for frying
Flaky sea salt and lemon wedges, to serve

Steps

Cut each squid body open along one side and lay it flat. Scrape the inside clean and pat dry. Cut into strips about 1/2 inch (1 cm) wide and 3 inches (7 cm) long. Halve the tentacles if large.
Optional: soak the strips in milk 30 minutes to tenderize; drain well.
Mix the flour, semolina and salt in a wide bowl.
Heat the oil in a heavy pot or deep skillet to 375F (190C). The oil should be at least 1 1/2 inches deep.
Toss a handful of squid in the flour, then shake well in a sieve so only a thin coating remains.
Fry in small batches for 60 to 90 seconds, until pale golden and crisp. Overcooking makes squid rubbery.
Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with flaky salt and serve immediately with lemon, while the next batch fries.

Chef’s tips

Pat the squid really dry; wet squid makes the flour clumpy and the oil spit.

Small batches keep the oil hot, which keeps the coating crisp.

Frozen squid is fine; thaw it overnight in the fridge and dry well.

Contains: Shellfish (mollusc), wheat.

Save to my recipes