Roasted Squid With Chorizo and Pimentón + La Marea Albariño 2017

After I. Brand & Family Winery donated this wine to a fundraising dinner I hosted earlier this month, I picked up another bottle to pair for the August #WinePW Crisp White Wines from Spain and Portugal event. 

La Marea, made by Ian Brand of I. Brand & Family Winery and  Le P’tit Paysan, focuses on single vineyard Spanish varietals that are “rooted in the sea, the soil and the sea air” such as Albariño, Grenache (Garnacha), and Mourvèdre (Monastrell). This particular wine was made with grapes from the Kristy Vineyard whose soil has a high percentage of limestone which lends the resulting wine a bright acidity.

This Albariño is aromatic and crisp with a plethora of stone fruit and citrus notes. It was a great match with my Caprese Salad with Purslane Pesto and the Braising Greens with Strawberry-Honey Vinaigrette. But I wanted to pair it with a more Spanish-inspired dish and opted to make roasted squid with chorizo and pimentón. It was delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 ½  pounds cleaned squid, both tubes and tentacles
• 1 C diced Spanish chorizo, casing removed
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and sliced
• pinch of red pepper chile flakes, to taste
• 1 t pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika) + more for dusting
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• organic lemon wedges for serving
• Also needed: cast iron skillet

Procedure

Place oven rack in the top position and preheat oven to 475 degrees F. 

Rinse squid and pat dry. In a small mixing bowl, toss squid with 1 t pimentón and a pinch of red pepper chile flakes. Season with salt and pepper and let stand while you prepare the pan.

Place a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. When hot, olive oil and onions. Cook until the onions begin to soften and turn translucent. Add in the chorizo. Cook until the chorizo begins to sizzle. Remove from heat and stir in the squid until they are nicely coated with oil.

Transfer pan to top rack in hot oven. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on size of squid. They are done when bodies are puffed and starting to brown and crisp at edges. 

To serve, move squid, chorizo, and onions to a large platter, dust lightly with pimentón and spoon pan juices over everything. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

This is just one of the dishes I'm sharing for the August #WinePW event that I'll be rounding-up under the title - California Central Coast Albariños with Spanish Bites.