History and origin
Small squid briskly seared, tender and scented with fresh garlic
Chipirones are small squid happily cooked whole, body and tentacles together. Their appeal owes less to a complicated recipe than to the freshness of the product and a brief cooking: a very hot griddle colours the skin, concentrates the juices and keeps the flesh tender. A little olive oil is enough, often joined by garlic, parsley and sometimes a squeeze of lemon.
The preparation belongs to a wide Spanish maritime repertoire: it was neither born in Alhama nor reserved to the province. It nonetheless fits naturally into the cooking of this coastline, where the official gastronomy guides dwell on fish, cephalopods and the griddles of the seaside bars.
At the table, chipirones ideally arrive straight from the heat, in their natural shape, with a few charred edges and a short juice — never drowned in sauce. Depending on the house they also turn up fried, encebollados or in their ink; those are versions of the same product, not of the same page. That simplicity is exactly what convinces: a small cephalopod, frank heat, fruity oil and the fresh scent of parsley.
