This Japanese Grilled Squid is one of the best grilled squid recipes you will ever have. I ate so much grilled squid on my trip to Japan last year so I thought I would do a version of it myself. For this recipe, I decided to use frozen squid because the last time I bought fresh squid, I'm pretty sure it had already gone bad. The frozen squid tasted great!

plate of grilled squid with soy butter sauce drizzled all over.

I know for a fact that grilled squid is one of my wife's favorite dishes. Every time we go to a Japanese restaurant she is usually checking to see if they have it. Personally, I am more inclined to order sushi and tempura, but on our trip to Japan, I let my wife do most of the ordering, so we ended up eating a lot of squid. This recipe is inspired by a version we had in Osaka where the squid was served with a soy butter sauce.

Can't get enough of squid? Try my salted egg calamari next! Or, if you're looking for more Japanese recipes, try my aburi salmon or spicy tuna on crispy rice.

Preparing the squid

First, make sure to fully defrost the squid otherwise your hands will get really cold during this process. Start by pulling out the tentacles and innards from the head. Use a knife to chop right below the eyes to separate the innards and the tentacles.

squid tentacles and innards separated from head.

Now go back to the head and pull out the beak (the beak is a long, thin plastic-looking thing and is embedded in the wall of the head). Use your fingers to pull out any remaining guts and rinse under tap water. The head should be more or less hollow.

holding the beak next to the squid head.

Once the squid is clean, use a knife to make a diagonal criss-cross pattern on both sides of the squid. This is extremely important because it will prevent the squid from curling when you grill it.

squid head with cross hatch cut into it.

Using a smash burger press

I have found that a smash burger press is amazing for keeping the squid in contact with the pan so you get an even sear. Just look at how beautiful this looks:

smash burger press placed on top of squid head to keep it in contact with pan.

squid head being grilled in cast-iron pan.

Japanese Grilled Recipe

This is one of my favorite grilled squid recipes. I first had it on my trip to Japan and now I can make it at home. The soy butter is really what brings to to the next level.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 5

Total Time 20

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

For the soy butter sauce

3 tablespoons butter
3 cloves grated garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice from ¼ of a lemon

For grilling the squid

1 large squid
1 teaspoon oil

Instructions

Before grilling the squid, I like preparing the sauce first so I can eat it with the squid right after it's cooked. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and add the soy sauce, sugar, and lemon juice. Whisk vigorously until the sauce becomes pale and creamy.
To clean the squid, pull out the tentacle and innards from the head. Use a knife to chop off right below the squid's eyes to separate the innards and tentacles. Discard the innards.
Remove the "plastic" beak from the head. Rinse under tap water and remove any leftover guts. The head should be more or less hollow. Use a knife to make a diagonal 1-inch criss-cross pattern on both sides of the head. Set aside.
Dry the head and tentacles thoroughly with paper towels.
Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Place the head in the pan and put a smash burger press on top to weigh it down. Grill both sides of the head for 2-3 minutes until charred on the outside. Do the same for the tentacles but for a bit less time.
Transfer the head and tentacles to a plate and pour the sauce overtop. Enjoy!