Pan-Fried Squid with Onions
Very tasty and simple - in just a few minutes! Pan-fried squid with onions cooks very quickly. This dish will save you when guests show up unexpectedly. The seafood turns out tender and soft, and the onions are fragrant and look great.
Updated : 13 February, 2026
Easy
About 30 min.
Ingredients
3
Squid tube
1
Shallots
2
Onions
1
Lime
to taste
Salt
to taste
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoon
Vegetable oil
to taste
Thyme
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to fry squid with onions? Prepare all the necessary ingredients. Today I suggest frying them in a grill pan. It gives a nice sear pattern, doesn’t absorb much oil, and is more convenient to use. But if you don’t have one, you can do everything in a regular nonstick pan.
Step 2
Peel the onion and cut it into quarters. Put everything in a bowl, salt it, and add a little vegetable oil. Gently mix so you don’t break the quarter pieces. You can use any type of onion, and the more varieties you use, the more interesting the dish will look and taste.
Step 3
I prefer buying cleaned squid tubes, but even those need to be properly prepared before frying. Many people notice that when heated, the squid shrinks and becomes much smaller. To prevent this, remove the thin skin from the squid - this is what tightens up and warps it. It can be easily lifted with your fingernails and pulled off without damaging the squid. Do the same on the inside by turning the squid inside out.
Step 4
Salt and pepper the tubes and drizzle them with lime juice. Then turn them back to the right side out. I don’t recommend salting and peppering the outside - after cooking, they can look like they’re dirty or covered with stuck-on char across the surface.
Step 5
Pour vegetable oil into the grill pan and add 1-2 sprigs of thyme. You can replace it with dried rosemary sprigs. Peel the garlic, cut it, and place it between the ridges.
Step 6
Set the pan over medium heat and warm the oil for 1-2 minutes. During this time, the oil will heat up and start to become fragrant. Push the thyme and garlic to the two sides of the pan and add the squid. Press down from the top with a grill press lid. If you don’t have one, use another clean, heavy skillet - it will press the tubes down so they get the characteristic grill stripes.
Step 7
Remove the thyme sprigs and fry each side for 3-4 minutes. Don’t keep the squid in the pan too long - otherwise it will turn “rubbery,” and you won’t be able to fix that.
Step 8
After you remove the cooked squid from the grill pan, spread out the prepared onions. Fry them over lower heat for 5-7 minutes, turning once. If you like, you can add other vegetables - I added young carrots and radishes. Add the fried vegetables to the squid and serve.
Step 9
Enjoy your meal!
Author note
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