Squid salt and pepper

Salt and pepper squid — battered or lightly dusted squid rings deep-fried until crisp, seasoned aggressively with salt, white pepper, and sometimes chilli and spring onion. The batter adds a starchy, oily crunch, the squid inside is tender and sweet, the white pepper brings a sharp pungency, and the salt is aggressive. The deep-frying fat is the primary structural challenge — the wine must cut through the batter oil without adding tannin that would clash with the white pepper and salt.

Pairs Perfectly

Crémant d'Alsace, Alsace, France — Pinot Blanc-led, rounded body, bone-dry, fine bubbles. The CO2 cuts through the deep-fry oil immediately and the rounded body of the Alsace expression carries the starchy batter without the lean precision of a Bourgogne Crémant feeling thin against the aggressive seasoning.

Pairs Well

Riesling Kabinett, Mosel, Germany — just off-dry, low alcohol, lime-citrus. The slight sweetness tempers the salt and white pepper and the acidity cuts the frying oil. Where the preparation includes chilli, the low alcohol keeps the pairing within the safe threshold.

Albariño, Rias Baixas, Galicia, Spain — saline, citrus, high acid. The saline character mirrors the salt seasoning and the acidity cuts the frying oil cleanly — a still-wine alternative where sparkling is not available.

Worth Seeking Out

A Grüner Veltliner in a lighter, more mineral style, a Steiermark or Kremstal expression, where the white pepper note mirrors the seasoning directly and the high acid cuts the frying oil with precision.

Avoid

Tannic reds — salt and white pepper together with tannin produce a harsh, metallic combination. Oaked whites add vanilla that clashes with the aggressive seasoning.

Failing That

A Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Marche, Italy.

If All Else Fails

A Gavi di Gavi, Piedmont, Italy.

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