Squid- These are cephalopods that live in almost all seas on earth. In domestic stores you can currently buy mainly shellfish from the Far Eastern seas. The most common and delicious is Pacific squid. The length of its body without head and tentacles is from 20 to 35 cm. The value of this species is its high content of protein and other useful substances Oh.
In addition to this species, Commander squid is also commercially available. On average, its body length is 10 cm longer than that of the Pacific. It also contains less protein, but more water. Thanks to this, its meat is more tender after heat treatment.
Southern types of squid are larger, and many of their meat has a specific taste. They are sold less often than Pacific and Commander squid.
In the retail chain you can find very light squid fillets. If there is no information on the packaging that the fillet was cooked at sea, you should not buy such a product. As a rule, caught squid is frozen and sent for processing to China. There the shellfish is thawed, filleted, bleached and re-frozen.
For use in home cooking It is preferable to cut and clean the squid yourself.
How to clean squid quickly
If the squid is purchased whole carcass with a head and tentacles, then it is first cut up. To do this, cut off the head, grope and remove the hard “beak” from it. The head and tentacles themselves are not thrown away; it can be used in salads, soups and main courses. The entrails are carefully removed from the squid's body. After this, it remains to clean the carcasses from the colored skin. This can be done according to the diagram below.It is more profitable to buy cut up, frozen, but not peeled squid carcasses.
Before cooking, they need to be defrosted at room temperature. After that:
1. Remove a transparent cartilaginous frog from the carcasses. This is a rudiment of an internal shell.
2. If there are leftovers internal organs, they also need to be removed. After this, place the carcasses in a suitable pan and pour boiling water over them.
3. The top skin will curl up, all that remains is to rinse the shellfish and use it for various dishes Oh.
How to fry squid in two minutes
You can cook fried squid very quickly. For one serving of fried squid you need:- two peeled squid mantles;
- 3-4 g salt;
- 2 g black pepper, ground;
- 30 ml oil.
2. After a quarter of an hour, heat the frying pan without oil. It is convenient to use either a grill pan or non-stick cookware.
3. Place the squid on a hot frying pan. First put it on the side where the cuts are, and after 40 - 50 seconds turn it over to the other side.
In another minute fried squid ready. Shape them into a tube and serve with any sauce.
How to quickly prepare a simple squid salad
For two servings of squid salad you need;
- 300 g peeled squid;
- 70 g mayonnaise;
- pepper to taste.
2. Cut the cooled squid into rings.
3. Add pepper and mayonnaise. Stir and serve.
It should be added that many seafood are quite expensive. Squids are the most budget-friendly of them, they are available to most consumers. The taste of these shellfish, when properly cooked, is excellent and dishes made from them should be on the family menu.
If you want to pamper your family with something tasty, nutritious, healthy and unusual, then it is likely that your choice will be squid. This once exotic mollusk began to appear more and more often on the tables of our compatriots. But who has ever tried to cook them and was faced with the question of how to clean squid? If you do it incorrectly, it can take a lot of effort and time, and as a result, you will lose the desire to cook them again. But if you know some nuances, cleaning will not cause you much trouble. So let's get started.
To clean easily, you need to choose the right one
If the product is fresh, then quickly cleaning the squid will not be difficult. The film that covers it easily comes off from the entire surface of the mollusk, like a stocking. But usually you can only find frozen squid in the store. And in order to avoid problems with cleaning and cooking, you need to be able to choose them correctly.
The product must not be defrosted. This is a very important requirement. If squids have been re-frozen, this not only makes them difficult to clean, but also affects taste qualities.
To check this in the store, you can pay attention to several factors:
- The squids should not stick to each other. If the seller cannot separate shellfish carcasses from each other, this means that the product has been re-frozen.
- The color of the meat should be white. If the meat has a reddish or bluish tint, this indicates that when it thawed, it took on this color from the skin.
Well, don’t forget that they should be stored in the freezer at home and not defrosted before cooking.
Quickly clean squid
To properly clean squid, you need to place the frozen carcasses first in boiling water and then immediately in cold water. Due to the high temperature, the skin will easily come away from the meat and it will not be difficult for you to remove it. But be careful not to overexpose hot water, otherwise the meat may cook, and then it will be more difficult to clean the squid. In addition to the skin, you need to remove the entrails and chord (the soft backbone of the mollusks).
For the dish to be tasty, the squid needs to be soft. Anyone who has tried to cook it at least once has noticed that sometimes the meat can be a little tough. To avoid this, do not overcook the squid. The best way to cook is to put it in boiling water for 15 seconds. This will give the meat tenderness. Only if squid is cooked together with other products, for example with vegetables, in pilaf, or as part of a sauce, the cooking time may be longer. Some chefs advise adding half a lemon or a bag of black tea to the water where you will cook the squid. This will add more flavor to the dish.
There are a great variety of squid dishes. You can stuff them, bake them, or just boil them. The main thing is that it is healthy, dietary and nutritious meat.
So now if you decide to surprise your loved ones gourmet dish shellfish, it won’t be difficult for you to quickly peel squid.
Seafood is a frequent guest on the human table. They are very tasty and healthy, and they are not as difficult to prepare as they seem. One of the most commonly used products is squid.
Exists great amount variety of recipes nutritious and delicious dishes with these sea creatures: salads, main dishes, appetizers, soup. The only thing that confuses housewives is the film on the shellfish carcass. As a result, the question arises: how to quickly clean squid?
Why clean?
Chilled squid carcasses can be sold with entrails - they must be removed. Also, its entire body is covered with a thin chitinous film - it is quite easy to feel it. It also needs to be removed from the carcass before cooking.
Instructions
There are 2 ways to clean squid. In both cases it will be quite fast. Naturally, when it comes to cleaning squid, we mean fresh carcasses, and not a canned product.
If your squid is frozen, defrost it first. At the same time, you should try to defrost it not until it is soft, otherwise it will be more difficult to clean it. If there are any innards, remove them. Determine where the squid's head is and grab it with your hand. Pull it towards you - the insides will come out easily during this action.
If you purchased a squid that no longer has a head, but has insides (this also happens, and quite often), remove the insides by hand, carefully pulling them out. After all manipulations, rinse the carcass.
First way
The first cleaning method looks like this: carefully pick up a thin film from the edge and slowly remove it from the carcass. Be prepared that this process is long and boring, since the film is very thin and often breaks. If difficulties arise, try tapping the carcass with a kitchen hammer. But do not hit too hard to avoid damaging the tender meat.
This way cleaning will do if you are going to bake or fry the squid. Don’t forget to clean the carcass from the inside - to do this, you need to turn it outside and remove the film from the inside.
Second way
The second cleaning option is suitable for those who are going to pamper their family or guests with stuffed squid:
- Pour water into the pan
- Add salt and soda to it one teaspoon at a time. Boil
- Clean the squid and place it in water to blanch for half a minute.
- Then all that remains is to rinse the carcass under running water
- Let it cool slightly and you can remove the film.
You can simplify this option:
- Take 2 containers: put ice in one (as an option, plain ice water will do), and squid in the other
- Pour boiling water over the carcass and immediately remove and place on ice
- You can start cleaning the squid from the films. You will see that they curl up and are easy to clean even with your fingers.
Squid is not a product of everyday demand, but last years this exotic mollusk began to appear more often on the tables of our compatriots. Housewives wanting to pamper their household original dish, they choose squids. Some of them, having bought frozen carcasses in the supermarket, do not even know how to approach them.
Cleaning and cutting squid at home takes a lot of time and discourages cooking from them in the future. Having familiarized yourself with some secrets, you will be able to “handle” seafood without hassle.
Preparation: selection in the store, storage at home
The secret to preparing a delicious squid dish is right choice. A product that has been frozen several times is more difficult to clean, and it has also lost its taste. How to recognize the “right” squid?
- Firstly, the carcasses should not be frozen to each other. The seller should easily separate them, and not “tear them off” from the main mass.
- Secondly, the meat should have a beautiful white color. The red-blue hue is released by the skin during thawing.
It is better to cook purchased squids on the same day or, without defrosting, place them in the freezer.
Cleaning defrosted squid from film
Occasionally in stores you can find already thawed squid, and sometimes it happens that the mollusks are thawed at home, waiting for the owner to be free from other matters. Don't be discouraged, and in this situation you can cook a delicious dish. The main thing is to follow the procedure:
- Bring a partial pot of water to a boil.
- After making a cut along the carcass, gut it.
- Rinse the meat thoroughly.
- Place the squid in the pan and hold for 10 seconds.
- Having pulled out the carcasses, you will find that the transparent shells remain in the water.
Video tips
How to clean frozen squid
This procedure is done in five steps:
- Bring a partial pot of water to a boil.
- Remove the squid from the freezer and place in a deep container (bowl, pan).
- Pour boiling water over the carcasses. Thanks to this action, almost all the skin will separate on its own.
- Quickly drain the water and rinse the seafood under cold running water, carefully removing the film. If you don't hurry, the carcasses will cook.
- Gut the insides, remove the backbone.
How to Clean Freshly Caught Clams
The best squids are those that were not frozen, but were brought from the seabed directly to the kitchen, or were refrigerated for several hours before being sold. The meat of such shellfish is nutritious, healthy and tasty.
In this case, some housewives are frightened by the presence of the head and tentacles, because they will have to be removed themselves. This procedure does not require any special skills. The head is cut off and thrown away, and the tentacles are cut off near the eyes and used for cooking. They also have a shell on them, and it will need to be removed in the same way as from a thawed carcass.
The procedure for cleaning fresh squid carcasses and tentacles is as follows:
- Boil required amount water.
- Clams, freed from entrails, are placed in a colander, doused with boiling water, and then placed under the stream cold water.
- The film is removed by pulling from the thick part towards the thin part. It is more convenient to scrape off the wings with a knife.
- Clean the tentacles in the same way. This is easy to do, since the skin will separate on its own under the influence of boiling water.
How to cook squid and how much to cook
Exist various ways boiling squid, so I will give three of the simplest and most popular.
- Bring the water in the pan to a boil, add salt and spices. Using a slotted spoon, lower the carcass into boiling water for 10 seconds, then remove. Cook the rest of the carcasses in the same way. The result was a semi-finished product for further preparation (slicing into salad, stew, etc.).
- The second method is suitable for cooking frozen, previously cleaned preparations. Dip all the carcasses into boiling water with spices, keep them on low heat for 1 minute, turn off the stove and let them stand in hot water for another 10 minutes.
After the water boils, put defrosted clams in it, turn off the heat and let stand for 10 minutes.
Video recipe
- Various websites advise to cook squid for about 4 or even more minutes. You shouldn't do this! Excessive heat treatment will make seafood meat tough. Moreover, it will lose nutritional value and taste.
- For flavor, add half a lemon or a bag of black tea to the water in which the shellfish will be boiled.
- When removing films, you need to take into account that you need to remove both colored and transparent shells. If the housewife does not notice or deliberately leaves the film, then after cooking the meat will be tough and tight.
- Don't buy large squids. Their meat has a bitter taste, and it will take more than an hour to cook such giants. Wherein ready dish will be tough.
The nutritional value of seafood cannot be overestimated. Squid meat is a storehouse of vitamins and microelements. There is a wide variety of dishes that can be prepared from this mollusk. It is a valuable component of many salads; it is stuffed, stewed, fried, boiled, baked, salted and even pickled. If you decide to please yourself and your family with a delicious squid dish, now you can do it without much difficulty, relying on my advice.
Various methods that contain recommendations on how to clean squid are aimed at quickly removing from the seafood all the entrails and films that are inedible. If you clean the squid correctly, its meat will be very tender, tasty, and soft. We recommend preparing stuffed, smoked, marinated squid, salads and other favorite dishes only from such seafood.
You can often find frozen seafood in the store, the cleaning technology of which is slightly different. Please note that if you clean the squid incorrectly, it will be tough and taste unpleasant. Many people don’t like this product because they don’t know how to cook it.
Squids are a source of nutrients. It’s not for nothing that this type of seafood is considered a delicacy. Every housewife should be able to properly clean squid and cook wonderful, healthy, delicious dishes, which will decorate any holiday table.
Squids belong to the class of cephalopods. They are predatory animals. Such mollusks can reach 20 meters in length. The average size of such individuals ranges from 25 to 50 centimeters. It is noteworthy that squids can change color, which depends on electrical discharges.
Many invertebrates, including squid, are the subject of industrial fishing. Their meat has been used for food for many years and is considered dietary.
It contains very little fat and carbohydrates. But 100 grams of squid meat includes 16 grams of proteins, which any person should consume daily.
It is no secret that proteins perform a construction function in our body. Such food can quickly saturate the body. In addition, it is rich in vitamins and minerals. Among the vitamins that properly cooked squid contain are the following: C, A, E, B vitamins.
You can also highlight the vital minerals contained in this product:
- phosphorus;
- potassium;
- magnesium;
- calcium;
- sodium;
- zinc;
- copper;
- selenium.
The calorie content of this type of invertebrate is only 86 kilocalories per 100 grams. Due to this property, squids are used for dietary nutrition. To prepare various dishes, they take the carcass, but you can also use the tentacles. All parts in mandatory should be cleaned properly. Edible squid are caught off the coast of the Falkland Islands, Peru, Japan, China, Vietnam, Russia and near the Patagonian shelf.
First, you need to properly clean these seafood, after which they can be fried, stewed, pickled, canned, or boiled. Very popular are salads, soups, risotto, paella, pasta or grilled squid tentacles. In the store you can find fresh or frozen seafood. Some of them are sold without the head, tentacles and entrails, and some need to be completely cleaned.
We recommend buying carcasses, as it greatly simplifies the cooking process. If such invertebrates are not caught within a few hours' drive from your home, then purchase them in fresh It's unlikely to succeed. In any case, frozen foods retain most of the nutrients and have good taste. All that remains is to clean them and cook them.
Cleaning whole squid
To clean whole squid, you need to find where the head is. Tentacles extend from the invertebrate's head. The first thing you should do is grab the seafood by the body with one hand, and the head with the other, and pull. This method will allow you to quickly remove the head along with the entrails. If you do not plan to use the tentacles for cooking, there is no need to clean them.
The second step involves removing the chitinous plate. It is very easy to feel on the carcass because it is hard. This part can be cut out with a knife. The chitin plate is not edible, so be sure to get rid of it to ensure the next dish is tender and tasty. If you plan to stuff squid, be sure to leave a convenient form for this process. Do not cut the carcass into several parts.
After this, remove all films with gentle movements. They are the ones who do the meat is tough at heat treatment. Remember that if you have tried hard seafood, it means that it was not cleaned according to technology. All films, both colored and transparent, should be cleaned. The latter are the main reason for tough meat and the acquisition of an unaesthetic appearance during cooking of the carcass. This process is performed on both the outside and inside of the squid. As you can see, cleaning such seafood is not so difficult.
Cleaning gutted seafood
When purchasing gutted carcasses, they will most likely not contain the head and entrails. Cleaning them is much faster and easier. The film from a fresh carcass is removed in one motion, but to clean a frozen carcass you will have to use more effort. Gutted squid are mainly sold frozen.
The first step is to defrost the carcasses. But under no circumstances should you carry out this process in the oven or microwave. Seafood should be thawed at room temperature.
Then you will need two containers. Pour water into one of them and put ice cubes. Place the carcasses in a second container. Then they should be doused with boiling water, and then quickly transferred to a bowl with ice water. After this, all films can be easily removed.
The second method allows you to instantly clean frozen seafood. To do this, you just need to put them in a container and pour boiling water over them. But remember that you cannot keep the carcasses in boiling water for a long time, otherwise they will become tough and tasteless. After this procedure, you can remove the films and continue cooking. Remember that keeping squid in boiling water for more than 2 minutes is prohibited.
Cleaning squid is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. All you need to know is a few simple techniques that will help you prepare seafood for later use in your favorite dishes. This product is a source of useful substances, including proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Many people appreciate seafood due to its dietary properties. In addition, such food is tasty and healthy for the body.
