First, a disclosure. I’m not much of a squid gal. Too many crimes are committed by not cooking calamari either fast enough or slow enough, and by under-seasoning; resulting in a rubbery, tasteless chew.
And yet the dish I’m obsessed with is – to borrow the catchphrase of a beloved UK supermarket – not just any squid, it’s London Shell Co’s Sichuan squid. A slippery, tingly, cold and crunchy dish that is somehow both cooling and exhilarating at once. I order it every time it’s on the blackboard menu, along with their delicious bread, which I will use to mop up any remaining oil. This is my Damascene squid, the dish that enlightened me and I now have the fervour of the convert.
London Shell Co opened on Swain’s Lane in 2023, as sibling founders Harry and Leah Lobek’s first bricks and mortar site. By this time, the pair had honed their experience over eight years of London Shell Co pop-ups and canal boat restaurants. Through the years and various incarnations, the vision remained the same. Source the highest quality fish and seafood; deliver it with charm and intent in beautiful places.
There are few places more charming in North London than Swain’s Lane, on the east side of Hampstead Heath’s Parliament Hill. As you approach London Shell Co the first thing you notice is a small number of marble-topped tables out front. At lunchtime, when these are seated with locals and visitors eating oysters and drinking muscadet, the vibe can feel more Sixieme Paris than London.
Inside, beyond its small semi-open kitchen and a dining room with a short, daily menu, London Shell Co operates as a fishmonger. Former head chef Stuart Kilpatrick (ex-Hix and Anthony Demetre), who now runs the fish counter, sources most of the fish from Brixham Market, ensuring the kind of quality you could usually only expect to find in fishing towns. So, when I’m talking about squid, what I mean is freshly reeled squid of scrupulous provenance delivered that day.
The inspiration for the Sichuan squid came from a love of spicy Chinese food, like the mouth-numbing hot pot or dry-fried chicken eaten frequently at after-service trips to a local Chinese restaurant for, or the cold crunchy beef tripe in spicy oil at Dumplings’ Legend in Chinatown.
London Shell Co chef Fede Pollame first makes a Sichuan oil with Sichuan peppercorns, cumin seeds, garlic, ginger, fresh chilli and seasoning. He prepares the squid and cuts the body into strips resembling udon noodles, and the wings into small triangles. It is heated in the oven for mere minutes until just cooked through, so it will take on the flavour of the oil and peppercorns while releasing its own moisture to add flavour to the oil. The squid is then drenched in the oil, topped with chopped cucumber, fresh coriander – including stalks for flavour – and a touch of red wine vinegar and salt.
The result is addictive. It’s minimalist, but a simple dish that wouldn’t work unless every element was perfect. There’s nowhere to hide. And now that I’ve found it, I can’t stop thinking about it.
Sophie Orbaum is comms and marketing director for Harts Group.
I Can’t Stop Thinking About is a series about dishes Broadsheet editors and contributors are obsessed with.