# Tomato-Braised Stuffed Squid with Grits - Made In

The Italian coast meets the American South in this surprisingly cost-effective dish utilizing squid as a cheap, abundant protein, stuffed with tomatoes.

If all you know of squid is fried calamari served in a red plastic basket, then buckle up: This is nothing like that. While we have the greatest respect for what is surely one of suburban America’s favorite seafood appetizers, we confess to preferring this version—a classic Italian coastal dish celebrating a cheap and abundant protein—by a significant margin. Chef Jesse Griffiths begins by cleaning and breaking down each squid into tubes and tentacles, then stuffs them with an herby sausage filling. A few toothpicks help reattach each tube to its respective tentacles (watching  the video below may help) and the Frankenstein’ed cephalopods are ready to be braised in a simple tomato sauce made in the Dutch Oven. Not one to stick too close to tradition, Chef Griffiths opts to serve this over pillowy grits rather than polenta—after all, this is Texas.

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URL: https://madeincookware.com/recipes/stuffed-squid