Grilled squid with "Tsume" sauce イカのたれ焼き

Although this was not real “Tsume” sauce つめだれ, I had the sauce left when I cooked a whole Vermilion snapper which contained a lot of “umami” and protein from the fish. This was first used to make a simmered tofu or “Niyakko” 煮奴 by diluting with dashi broth. After this, I reduced it and adding more soy sauce and mirin and used it for yakitori. This sauce was finally used to make this grilled squid. This is very similar to other squid dish I posted but this time I grilled it using the toaster oven and the sauce was a bit better.

These are rather small squid. I made shallow crisscross cuts. I dried the surface with a paper towel and placed them in the broiler about one inch from the upper heating elements. After 6-7 minutes I turned them over and cooked the other side for another 5 minutes. When the squid was almost fully cooked, I brushed on the sauce and let it grill for 1 minute on both sides brushing the sauce on the other side as well.

This was remarkably tender squid and the sauce was pretty good. I served it with a wedge of lemon on a bed of water cress.