Shredded Squid On Hong Kong River

Foods of Earth: Hong Kong

I’ll never forget my first trip to Hong Kong. Initially, it was a foodie feast for the eyes. Once we began tasting everything… well, it was a non-stop buffet everywhere we went.

For example, along Victoria Harbor’s banks are food hawkers ready to serve local favorites. Here we have a nutritious treat of shredded squid topped with a sauce (that we didn’t try). I was introduced to grilled squid before - the bags of squid strips in bags found in Asian supermarkets. But this here, this hawker, was the real deal.

Once it was handed to me it was warm, delicate to the touch with little crunches as I grabbed the bag, then quickly eased off, so not to break it too much.

The thin pieces delicately snapped and crackled in the mouth. It filled my palate with smokey, umami calamari flavor. This was new to me. We both really enjoyed it.

While waiting I watched the vendor. He took a flat piece of dried squid, grilled for a minute in a panini style press, then passed it through a device similar to a pasta machine to press and shred the meat, then back on the grill to crisp it.

I hope to come across more squid vendors like this in the future, and I hope you do too.

Correction: After posting I had realized the title is incorrect. The location in this image is not a river but a harbor, Victoria Harbor. I will be more mindful of this in the future.

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