Salted egg squid is unique because it is not ordinary deep-fried squid; it is doused in a special sauce made with salted egg yolks, butter, and milk.

Why is salted egg so tasty?

You might have heard about salted eggs or tried them before. These special preserved eggs are primarily popular among Chinese and other Asian countries. They are creamy, buttery, and savory. In the past, salted eggs were hardly used in any Chinese seafood restaurant. However, in the past 10 years, creative chefs have begun incorporating the flavor of salted egg yolk into various dishes, particularly seafood. The bright yellow color, creamy and slightly sandy texture, and highly umami flavor have made them a must-have item in all Chinese restaurants.

Nowadays, the locals like anything cooked with salted egg yolks. This craze caught on like wildfire, and we were no exception. Initially, only seafood was coated with salted egg yolk sauce, but it has expanded to include salted egg fish skin and even salted egg potatoes, which have gained significant popularity recently.

In this article, I will show you how to prepare the highly flavourful deep fry squid rings doused in a salted egg yolk sauce.

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How to make salted egg squid rings

The recipe consists of deep-frying squid rings and preparing the salted egg sauce. Let’s start with the squids.

1. Deep fry the squid rings

Assuming you have already cleaned, removed the eyes and ink sac, and peeled off the squid’s skin, cut the squid into 1/2 cm long rings. I prefer using large squids to cut it into many beautiful rings.

Next, place the squid rings on a paper towel or a dry cloth to remove the excess water. Add two salted egg whites and mix well. After that, place the squid rings in a slotted spoon to remove the excess salted egg whites.

Place some cornstarch in a mixing bowl. Transfer the squid rings to the cornstarch and dredge them inside the starch to ensure they fully cover each ring. Then, shake off the excess and place the rings on another plate.

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Deep-fry the coated squids in the hot oil for 2 minutes or until their color change to light golden. Please do not overcook the squid, or they’ll become rubbery. At this stage, the color of the squid rings may still be too light, but we will fry them again at a higher temperature to darken the color and make them crispy.

After the first round of deep-frying the squid rings, strain the oil through a fine strainer to remove any debris. This is a crucial step before the second round of frying, as it prevents any burnt debris from sticking to the squid rings.

Now increase the oil temperature to high, around 190°C. Return the squid to the oil and deep fry for half to one minute or until golden brown. Double frying helps the squid turn golden brown quickly and become crispy.

Remove the squid rings from the oil and place them on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

2. Ingredients for the salted egg buttermilk sauce

The second part of this recipe is to prepare the salted egg sauce. First, remove the salted charcoal covering the salted eggs. Then, clean the eggs well and crack them open.

Now, we need to separate the salted egg yolks and egg whites. The egg whites are used in the previous step to mix with the squid rings.

The most commonly used method to cook the egg yolks is to steam them for about five minutes over high heat. An alternate method is to cook them in the microwave oven. Please do not use the microwave at high power, as the egg yolks may burst inside the microwave, which can be very messy.

There are a few more ingredients for the sauce:

• First, prepare some finely chopped garlic. 
• If you like it spicy, add one or two bird’s eye chilies that have been cut into small pieces. 
• You also need some evaporated milk, which is commonly used in this recipe in Malaysia. If you do not have evaporated milk, you can use any milk, which will not make a huge difference.
• Lastly, two traditional Malaysian items are needed to make this recipe authentic. The first one is Malaysian curry powder. It is not the main ingredient, so you can use any brand of curry powder if it is unavailable.
• The second one is curry leaves. This is a bit more tricky because you may not be able to purchase them easily if you live outside Asia. If you can’t, you may have to forgo them but try to get them from the Asian grocery store if possible.

3. Prepare the sauce

Let’s prepare the sauce by heating some butter in a pan or skillet. Once it has melted, add the chopped garlic, curry leaves, and bird’s eye chilies. Keep the flame low to avoid burning the butter.

Next, mash the cooked salted egg yolks and add it to the butter. Mix it well with the other ingredients. Halfway through, add the curry powder and evaporated milk. You can adjust the quantity of milk to make the sauce saucier or less, as per your preference. I prefer using less milk to make the sauce thicker, which helps it adhere better to the squid.

The final step before serving is to add the deep-fried squid rings to the sauce and thoroughly mix them. Then, dish out and garnish with some coriander leaves. 

This dish is best enjoyed while the squid rings are still crunchy, and we usually serve it with steamed rice.

Other recipes related to salted egg squid

If you enjoy salty egg squid and want more recipes, my blog has some handpicked options that might interest you.

• You can make stir-fried squid with black bean sauce for an authentic Chinese flavor. This popular Cantonese dish is easy to prepare and perfect for home cooks.
• Another great recipe is authentic Chinese sweet and sour pork. It has been our family favorite, and I’m sure it will be for you, too.

Continue to Content

Salted Egg Squid

Yield: 3 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Malaysia's homegrown salted egg yolk squid recipe is incredibly tasty and bursting with flavor that will leave you craving more.

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Ingredients

• 350g squid
• 4 salted eggs
• Oil to deep-fry
• 2 tbsp chopped garlic
• 2 bird’s eye chilies
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 stalks curry leaves
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 5 tbsp evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• Red chili slices to garnish

Instructions

Deep-fry the squid

1. Cleaned, removed the eyes and ink sac of the squid, and peeled off the skin.
2. Cut the squid into 1/2 cm long rings. 
3. Place the squid rings on a dry cloth to remove the excess water. 
4. Add two salted egg whites and mix well. After that, place the squid rings in a slotted spoon to remove the excess salted egg whites.
5. Dredge the squid rings in cornstarch. Then, shake off the excess.
6. Deep-fry the coated squids in oil over medium heat for 2 minutes or until their color change to light golden.
7. Strain the oil through a fine strainer to remove any debris. 
8. Return the squid to the oil and deep fry over high heat (190°C) for half to one minute or until golden brown. 
9. Remove the squid rings from the oil and place them on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

Prepare the salted egg sauce

1. Separate the salted egg yolks and egg whites. (The egg whites are used in the previous step to cover the squid rings.)
2. Steam the egg yolks for about five minutes or until cooked.
3. Prepare some finely chopped garlic and cut the bird's eye chilies into small pieces. 
4. Heat some butter in a pan. Once it has melted, add the chopped garlic, curry leaves, and bird's eye chilies. Keep the flame low to avoid burning the butter.
5. Mash the cooked salted egg yolks and add it to the butter. 
6. Add the curry powder and evaporated milk. 
7. Return the deep-fried squid rings to the sauce and thoroughly mix them. Then, dish out and garnish with some coriander leaves. 

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 431Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 362mgSodium: 578mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 25g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 3/21/2024