Step 1

To prepare the marinade, combine soy sauce, aka miso, mirin, sake, ginger and sancho pepper in a large bowl, and mix well.

Step 2

Add in the squid, and spoon the marinade over to coat well. Set aside to marinate for 15 mins.

Step 3

When it’s time to cook, separate squid from the liquids, but reserve the marinade for later use.

Step 4

Cooking on a grill plate: Heat a well-oiled grill plate over stovetop. When grill plate is hot, place squid on the grill to cook for about 12-15 mins, turning occasionally, and glazing the squid with marinade. Cooking time will vary a little according to the size of the squid.

Step 5

Cooking on a pan: Heat a well-oiled pan over medium-high heat. Add squid to cook on pan for about 4-5 mins on each side, turning occasionally. Add the marinade and cook a further 1-2 mins until the sauce thickens.

Step 6

To serve, slice the squid into rings and place on serving plate. Add a dash of sansho before serving, and a lemon wedge on the side.

Step 7

Squeeze lemon over hot squid and enjoy ikayaki with a cold beer!.