21/09/2026
🦑 Japanese-Style Stuffed Grilled Squid with Vegetables
Ingredients
For the squid:
* 4 medium whole squid, cleaned, with tentacles reserved
* 1 tbsp cooking oil
For the vegetable filling:
* 1 cup finely chopped cabbage
* ½ cup chopped green onion or leek
* ¼ cup finely chopped carrot
* ½ green bell pepper, finely chopped
* 1 small onion, finely chopped
* Squid tentacles, finely chopped
* 1 tsp grated ginger
* 1 tbsp soy sauce
* 1 tsp sesame oil
* ½ tsp sugar
* Pinch of salt and pepper
For the glaze:
* 2 tbsp soy sauce
* 1 tbsp mirin
* 1 tbsp sake
* 1 tsp sugar
* 1 tsp grated ginger
👩🍳 How to make it
1. Prepare the squid
Clean the squid and remove the transparent cartilage and innards. Keep the bodies whole and set the tentacles aside.
Pat the squid bodies dry with paper towels.
2. Make the filling
Chop the tentacles into small pieces.
Heat a little oil in a pan. Sauté the onion, carrot, cabbage and green pepper for about 2–3 minutes. Add the chopped tentacles and ginger.
Add soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables soften slightly.
Let the filling cool enough to handle.
3. Stuff the squid
Carefully fill each squid body with the vegetable mixture.
⚠️ Don’t pack it too tightly. The squid shrinks as it cooks, so leave about 2 cm of space at the opening.
Secure the opening with a toothpick.
4. Grill
Mix the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar and ginger to make the glaze.
Heat a grill, frying pan, or oven broiler.
Brush the squid with the glaze and cook over medium heat, turning several times and brushing with more glaze.
Cook for approximately 8–12 minutes, depending on size, until the squid is cooked through and beautifully browned.
5. Slice and serve
Remove the toothpicks and let the squid rest for a couple of minutes.
Slice into thick rounds like in your photo and arrange the tentacles underneath or alongside the pieces.
🌿 My tip for making it look like your photo
For that colorful filling, use plenty of cabbage, green pepper, carrot and green onion. Don’t overcook the vegetables before stuffing—the slight crunch makes the squid much nicer.
You could also add a little miso to the filling or glaze for a deeper Japanese flavor.
And since you’re in Japan, mirin + soy sauce + sake will give you that lovely glossy, slightly sweet grilled flavor. 😋
This would be especially nice served with steamed rice, miso soup, and a little Japanese pickled vegetable.
