Chargrilled squid with red pepper salsa and crispy bacon

Main course: Serves 4

Perfect barbecue material or good for a summery lunch or dinner party. The squid needs to be cleaned, leaving the body tubes whole, with the tentacles cut just above the eyes so they stay attached to each other. I originally ate something similar to this at one of Antony Worrall Thompson's restaurants, One Ninety Queensgate, when it first opened a good 10 years ago. It was probably ahead of its time on the Mediterranean food front. OK, I admit it, I stole the idea. I think AWT served it with bacon, rocket and chips. It was the bacon and squid bit that grabbed me; I took away the chips and added the red pepper salsa.

For the pepper salsa
2 large shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1 small mild red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and finely chopped
zest of half a lime, finely grated
40-50ml extra virgin olive oil
a few sprigs of mint, leaves removed and finely chopped
2tsp sweet chilli sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 medium-sized squid, weighing about 400g each
8 rashers of thinly sliced smoked streaky bacon
150g rocket, wild preferably

To make the chilli salsa, heat the olive oil in a saucepan and gently cook the shallots, chilli, pepper and lime zest for a few minutes until soft and without colouring. Remove from the heat and stir in the chilli sauce and fresh mint.Season with salt and pepper and put to one side.
Preheat a barbecue, griddle or cast-iron frying pan. Make a cut down the centre of each squid and open it out flat. Season the squid and tentacles with salt and pepper and brush with some vegetable oil. Meanwhile grill the bacon until crisp. Cook the squid for 2 minutes on each side then serve with a pile of the rocket, a spoonful of the warm salsa and the bacon on top.