Squids are inhabitants of open sea spaces.
They are among the fastest swimmers, second in speed only to sea sprinters such as swordfish, tuna and dolphins.
Fleeing from pursuit, a squid can even fly out of the water and, like flying fish, sweeping over the waves for tens of meters.
Sometimes the squid “shoots” so high that it hits the deck of a passing ship.
These squids are known among sailors as “flying squids.”
SQUID STRUCTURE
The squid's body is cylindrical, strong and muscular, with symmetrical triangular fins at one end and the head at the other. Around the mouth opening there are ten tentacles equipped with many suckers. Two tentacles differ from the others in length and shape and serve as catchers.
The muscular mantle and tentacles of the squid are eaten. Squids belong to the order of decapod cephalopods.
This mollusk has been eaten for a long time. They are especially popular in coastal countries. Commercial squid fishing has been established for a long time.
Based on where they are caught, they are divided into Pacific and Atlantic. They are processed directly on the same vessel that is caught and frozen there. Since this perishable product, then you cannot re-freeze it; after defrosting, the squid may spoil.
USEFUL PROPERTIES OF SQUID
Squid meat is rich in essential amino acids and is literally a storehouse of protein. In terms of the content of easily digestible proteins and B vitamins, squid is several times higher than such familiar products as fish or animal meat. In addition, squids are rich in polyunsaturated fats, which play an essential role in a properly balanced diet.
And, of course, like many other seafood, squid is extremely rich in valuable minerals such as iron, phosphorus, iodine, and copper. One more distinctive feature squid is high content their meat contains extractive substances that promote the secretion of digestive juices, which makes squid important and useful product for everyone who suffers from diseases of the digestive tract.
The meat of this mollusk contains the substance taurine, which helps reduce blood cholesterol levels, stabilize blood pressure, and also has an anti-sclerotic effect. Squid is also rich in vitamin E and selenium, which remove heavy metal salts from the body.
Squid meat is low-fat and is considered a dietary product. This seafood also contains iodine, which is necessary for a growing body, as well as for normal functioning. thyroid gland.
Squids are ideal for children's and diet food.
How to choose squid?
Squids are sold canned and frozen. With the first one everything is clear, we look at the production date and expiration date, as well as the integrity of the packaging and buy with confidence.
But with frozen squid you need to be extremely careful. Shellfish that have been previously thawed and subsequently re-frozen will taste bitter and will fall apart when cooked.
To determine whether they have been defrosted The carcasses need to be checked first to see if they are sticking together. Squids stuck together in one lump will tell you that they have already been defrosted. The briquettes, which were easily separated from each other, could not be re-frozen.
The film on the squid carcass can be of different colors, from gray to purple, but the meat itself should only be white.
If the color of the squid meat is different from white, this means that the squid has already been defrosted, and its meat has absorbed the color of the shell.
The taste of such meat can be irreparably damaged.
How to properly clean squid?
Many people consider cleaning squid to be a troublesome and unpleasant task, however, this is not at all the case.
To quickly and easily remove the film covering the squid, place the frozen squid in a deep bowl and pour boiling water over it.
Almost all of the squid skin will immediately curl up and come away from the meat. Immediately drain the boiling water and clean the squid from any remaining film under running water, then carefully remove the insides and the transparent chord (spine) with your fingers.
Your squids are completely ready for further culinary processing!
The meat of this mollusk is very finicky to prepare.
The most in a simple way cooking squid is boiling.
This is how you need to cook squid correctly.
Boil water in a saucepan, salt it, add peppercorns and Bay leaf, then take one squid carcass and put it in boiling water, take it out after 15 seconds, wait until the water boils again and put the next carcass in.
This way the squid will turn out tasty and tender.
It is recommended to add half a lemon or a bag of black tea to the boiling water where the squid is cooked.
Only if the squid is cooked with various seasonings and products or with sauce (for example, solyanka, pilaf, squid in sour cream or tomato sauce, with vegetable or other filling, etc.), may it take 10-15 minutes.
Many dishes are prepared from squid.
The main thing is great ingredient For various salads. Squids are also fried, stewed and even stuffed with both cooked and raw fillings.
You can also make sushi from this shellfish.
Frozen squid fillet dishes.
First of all, frozen fillets must be thawed in air or in slightly salted cold water.
Then remove the skin from the fillet.
This can be done in two ways: using a knife, peel off the top, i.e., darker layer of skin from the fillet, or quickly dip raw fillet V hot water and then use a knife to strongly scrape the dark layer of skin.
After this treatment, rinse the fillet thoroughly. cold water, then beat it on both sides to soften the strong ring muscles of the squid.
If you do not do this, the squid fillet will shrink and become tough when boiling and frying. Cleaned and beaten fillets can be cut into large or small pieces, depending on what dish will be prepared.
Raw fillet squid fried in small pieces 1.5-2 cm long and weighing about 25 g. You can also cook squid in fillet halves.
Cooking squid by frying can be done in in kind(just fry salted squid), or you can fry breaded, that is, sprinkle the chopped and beaten fillet with salt and pepper, moisten with beaten egg, roll in ground breadcrumbs and quickly fry on both sides in a frying pan in hot vegetable oil or other fat.
It is easy to make minced meat from the fillet, head and tentacles.
Skinned squid meat must be minced twice, seasoned with onion, ground pepper and, if desired, nutmeg. You can also add a little chopped garlic.
To make it more juicy and lush minced meat, add a little water or broth.
You can also make cutlets, meatballs, meatballs, filling for dumplings, etc. from minced meat. (These dishes are also prepared from natural canned squid.)
How to cook squid
Extraordinary delicate taste and the aroma of squid is completely devoid of a pronounced fishy taste and rather resembles the taste of lobster meat.
Squids are great not only for making salads, but also for frying, stewing, and making soups.
The most widely used squid meat is in dishes. Mediterranean cuisine and cuisines of Asian countries. The specifics of cooking squid meat require knowledge of some simple secrets and tips.
Boiled squid can be eaten as a main dish, topped with any white sauce, or can be used to make salads.
SALAD with squid
Refreshingly gentle Mediterranean salad with squid.
Cut half a bunch of lettuce leaves not too finely, place in a deep salad bowl, sprinkle lemon juice and stir.
150 gr. feta cheese (or Adyghe cheese) cut into cubes.
Cut one boiled squid into thin strips.
100 gr. Separate seedless green grapes from the branches and cut each berry in half.
Place cheese, squid and grapes in a salad bowl with lettuce, salt, season with 2 tbsp. spoons of olive oil and mix gently.
Fried squid as a main hot dish
Easy and very simple. Cut two small squid into rings. Two heads onions cut into half rings and two cloves of garlic into thin petals. In a deep frying pan, heat 2 tbsp. spoons of olive oil and fry the onion and garlic in it until golden brown.
Then add squid, 1 tbsp. spoon tomato paste, salt, black and red pepper to taste. Mix everything and fry over medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat immediately and serve with a side dish of boiled potatoes or rice.
Squid cutlets
Cutlets made from squid meat are unusually tasty, tender and aromatic.
Prepared in the usual way, they will delight you with a delicate taste and delicate aroma, steamed, such cutlets will serve as an exquisite dietary dish.
Rinse and peel ½ kg. squid Pass them once through a meat grinder with a fine grid. Then pass the minced squid through the meat grinder a second time, along with 2 slices white bread, soaked in cream, one hard-boiled egg, one onion and 1 - 2 cloves of garlic.
Add salt, black pepper and ground rosemary to the finished minced meat to taste. Mix everything thoroughly and beat lightly with a whisk or mixer.
Form small cutlets from the resulting minced meat, roll in a mixture of breadcrumbs and sesame seeds, and then fry in vegetable oil on both sides until golden brown. Serve with fresh vegetable salad and cream sauce.
Squid soups
There is a simple pattern: the squid remains soft for the first 3 minutes of cooking, then it becomes tough. After 30-40 minutes it becomes soft again, but loses volume.
This is the basis for preparing squid soup. Most often, squids are boiled separately, then set aside, vegetables, cereals, pasta and other ingredients are boiled in the resulting broth, and when serving, squids, cut into rings or strips, are added again. Below we will give a simple but tasty example of such a soup.
Homemade soup with squid
Ingredients:
- 500 g potatoes
- 250 g frozen squid
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 parsley root
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Salt, spices and herbs to taste.
Preparation
Thaw, clean and rinse the squid. Throw them into boiling salted water and cook for no more than 3-5 minutes. Welded and chilled squid cut into strips.
Finely chop the onion, carrots and parsley root and fry in vegetable oil until the onion becomes transparent. Throw the vegetables and diced potatoes into the squid broth, add salt and pepper, and cook the soup until the potatoes are ready.
When serving, place squid in each plate, pour over the soup and sprinkle with finely chopped herbs.
Raw squid can also be added 2-3 minutes before turning off the soup, as in the following recipe
Mushroom soup with squid
Ingredients:
- 250 g squid fillet
- 4-5 medium potatoes
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 onion
- 50 g dried mushrooms
- 20 g vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons flour
- 5 glasses of water
- Salt, pepper, herbs to taste
Preparation
Soak dried mushrooms for 3-4 hours and cook in the same water until soft. Strain the finished broth and rinse the mushrooms.
Prepare the sauté. Fry finely chopped carrots and onions in vegetable oil with the addition of tomato paste and flour until the mass becomes homogeneous and the onions are transparent.
Peel the potatoes and cook in the broth until tender, then add salt and pepper, add chopped squid fillet without skin, boiled chopped mushrooms, season the soup with sauté, cook for 2-3 minutes and serve.
However, squid can be boiled in soup for more long time. To do this, they are first fried so that the crust does not allow them to decrease in volume.
After 30 minutes the squid becomes soft again. You can verify this by preparing hodgepodge according to the following recipe.
Solyanka with squid
Ingredients:
- 300 g squid
- 1 onion
- 2 pickled cucumbers
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- ground black pepper,
- parsley or dill,
- salt to taste
Lightly pound the peeled and washed squids and cut them small pieces and fry in oil.
Lightly fry the chopped onions and place them together with the squid in a saucepan, add tomato paste, peeled and sliced pickles, finely chopped garlic, salt, ground black pepper, and water.
Cook covered for 30-40 minutes.
Before serving, sprinkle the solyanka with finely chopped parsley or dill.
And finally , thai recipe
Thai stuffed squid soup
Ingredients:
- 500 g small squid
- 200 g minced pork
- 1 teaspoon garlic, salt, pepper and coriander root, crushed together
- 1.2 liters fish stock or water
- 3 lemon leaves
- 2 tablespoons hot and sour sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Lemon juice, cilantro for seasoning, salt, crushed Bell pepper taste
Clean the squid and remove the ink sac. Stuff the carcasses with a mixture of minced pork, garlic, pepper, salt and coriander root. Boil water or fish broth, add lemon zest and chopped lemon leaves. Boil for a few minutes, put in a saucepan stuffed squid and add salt.
Before serving, squeeze a little lemon juice into each plate, season with crushed capsicum and finely chopped cilantro. The soup should be sour, salty and spicy.
Soup - cauliflower puree with squid
A truly delicious dish is a puree soup made from cauliflower and squid.
With its delicate combination of light texture and charming aroma, this soup can captivate anyone.
Place 500 g in a small saucepan. cauliflower, disassembled into inflorescences.
Add one carrot, chopped in large pieces, and one onion, cut into four parts. Fill the vegetables with water so that it only slightly tears them, add salt and cook over moderate heat for 30 - 35 minutes.
Drain the broth into a separate bowl, and grind the boiled vegetables in a blender or meat grinder. Transfer the vegetable puree back to the pan, add 100 g. heavy cream and divorce vegetable broth to the desired thickness.
Ready vegetable soup add two small squids, cut into rings. Place the pot of soup on the fire, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.
Serve immediately.
Risotto with squid
Of course, when talking about seafood, it is difficult to ignore such a popular dish of Mediterranean cuisine all over the world as risotto.
Let's try making squid risotto?
Peel and cut into long thin strips 430 g. squid
In a small frying pan, heat 1 tbsp. a spoonful of olive oil, add to it one teaspoon each of oregano and rosemary leaves (fresh or dry), a little red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic. Fry for 30 seconds and then add the squid.
Cook for another 1 minute. Remove from heat and discard any juice released by the squid. Combine the squid juice with 5 cups of fish stock in a separate saucepan and bring to a boil. In a deep frying pan over high heat, heat 2 tbsp. spoons of olive oil, add 3 finely chopped cloves of garlic and fry them until golden brown, 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Then add 1 ¼ cups long grain rice and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour 1 cup of dry white wine into the rice and cook until it is completely absorbed. Don't forget to stir!
Add ½ cup at a time. Add each subsequent portion only when the rice has completely absorbed the previous one. Don't forget to stir the rice thoroughly and don't turn down the heat!
Cook the rice in this manner until it is almost tender, just slightly crispy (al dente). It will take you 18 - 20 minutes.
Add your squid to the finished rice, 3 tbsp. tablespoons of chopped parsley, mix everything thoroughly and heat over low heat for 1 minute.
Before serving, add salt, black pepper and a little lemon juice.
If the previous recipe seemed too complicated to you, don’t worry, but try to cook another Mediterranean dish.
Squid with raisins and pine nuts cooked in Italy on Christmas Eve.
700 gr. Cut the squid into small pieces.
Heat 2 tbsp in a frying pan. spoons of olive oil, add 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic and fry until golden brown. Then add squid, 2 cups finely chopped canned or fresh tomatoes, ½ cup water, salt and pepper to taste.
Cover the pan with a lid and simmer everything together for 10 minutes. Add ½ cup black olives, ¼ cup raisins and 2 tbsp. spoons of pine nuts.
Mix everything thoroughly and simmer under the lid for another 10 - 15 minutes. Serve with crispy bread or croutons.
Stuffed squid
We will need several squid carcasses (preferably larger ones), butter, mushrooms (champignons are also possible), onions, eggs, cheese of any kind, green onions, herbs for filling, sour cream, mayonnaise, flour, salt, black pepper
Clean the carcasses using the “cold” method - that is, place the squid in cold water (under no circumstances douse the carcasses with boiling water, as is commonly believed!) and sharp knife remove the top white-pink skin and take out the insides. The process is quite painstaking, but it’s worth it - everything will be preserved during cooking. useful material and delicate taste.
Sauté the onion in butter until golden brown, add the mushrooms, fry until half cooked and mix it all with pre-grated cheese, finely chopped boiled eggs, green onions and herbs.
Fill with prepared squid mixture.
We either sew up the open edges of the carcasses or pin them with toothpicks (if you don’t feel like fiddling around). Place the carcasses in a deep vessel such as a roasting pan or pan with thick walls.
Prepare the sauce: sour cream and mayonnaise are mixed in a one-to-one ratio - that is, a glass of sour cream to a glass of mayonnaise, add a little flour, salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the squid and place over medium heat.
You can stuff squid with anything, use your imagination, but most often squid are stuffed with:
- Rice
- Egg
- Vegetables
- Mushrooms
- Pork
- Fish
- Bow
- Cheese
- Salom
- greenery
Deep fried squid rings
Ingredients: 1 kg squid, 250 g breadcrumbs, vegetable oil, 4 eggs (optional).
Rinse squid carcasses (if frozen, defrost) in cold water and cut into rings
Break 4 eggs into a plate and mix them until homogeneous mass and add a little salt. First dip the squid rings in eggs, and then in breadcrumbs - and place in a frying pan in which vegetable oil has already been heated. And fry on both sides!
You can use potato starch instead of breadcrumbs.
Attention: squids cook quickly - 1.5-2 minutes on each side!!!
Take them out onto a plate, you can add chopped herbs.
Another recipe Deep-fried squid rings.
Defrost and peel 1 kg. squid Cut them into thin rings.
To prepare the batter, mix thoroughly
- ½ kg. wheat flour,
- ½ liter of light, weak beer,
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt.
The finished batter should resemble sour cream in thickness. Heat 1 liter of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan or saucepan. Bread each squid ring in flour, dip in batter and fry in boiling oil until golden brown. Fry for no more than 2 - 3 minutes!
Remove the finished rings from the oil with a slotted spoon and place in a colander or on a paper towel to get rid of any remaining oil. Serve with two or three various types sauces.
Squid appetizer in tartlets
A quick recipe that can become a decoration for a holiday table, as it is prepared quickly and served in portions.
To prepare you will need:
- tartlet (from butter dough) - 6 pcs.
- squid (canned) - 250g
- carrots (boiled) - 1 pc.
- egg (boiled) - 2 pcs.
- green peas (canned) - 3 tbsp.
- mayonnaise - 1/2 cup
- parsley (chopped herbs) - 2 tbsp.
- black pepper (ground) - to taste.
Cut the squid and carrots into cubes, combine with chopped eggs, green peas, herbs, pepper, season with mayonnaise and mix. Fill the tartlets with the prepared mixture, sprinkle with herbs.
And finally, the recipe squid kebab
For the recipe you will need:
- squid (tentacles) - 450g
- chili pepper (chopped) - 2 tbsp. l.
- cilantro or mint greens - 2 tbsp. l.
- sugar - 1 tbsp. l.
- wine vinegar - 3 tbsp. l.
- olive oil - 1 tbsp. l.
- green onions - 1 bunch
- lime - 1 pc.
Mix chili pepper, cilantro or mint, sugar, vinegar and olive oil. Clean the squid, cut into 15-20 cm pieces and marinate in this sauce. Leave for 1-1.5 hours.
Thread the tentacles onto 4 skewers. Grill for 3-4 minutes, turning skewers constantly. Squids should not be overcooked, otherwise they will be tough. Lightly roast the green onions on a wire rack. Warm up the sauce in which the squid was marinated. Serve with roasted green onions, halved lime and sauce.
Bon appetit!
Have you already heard that squids are boiled in boiling water for only 10-15 minutes?
Forget it!
During this time, you will get a rubber sole, devoid of taste, and not juicy and healthy seafood.
In fact, everything is much simpler, faster and tastier.
How and how long should you cook squid to make it soft and tasty?
How to cook squid - general principles
Purchasing fresh seafood is quite difficult. Most often, frozen squid is used as food. The carcass is white, slightly pink or lilac in color. But in fact, the shade does not mean anything; the color of the product’s shell does not affect the taste.
What to look for when purchasing:
The meat itself should be light in color and in no case have a yellow tint. This indicates low quality of the product.
Squid carcasses should easily lag behind each other. If they are glued together in one lump, then most likely they have been defrosted. The manufacturer always freezes one piece at a time and only then packs it together.
If there is a lot of “ice glaze” on the seafood, that is, there is a coating of ice crust, then the buyer will pay up to a third of the amount for water.
Pay attention to the expiration date of seafood. But you need to look not at the label pasted in the store, but at the packaging itself. Very often the dates on them are different.
Try to choose small carcasses, their meat is more tender. It is also better to use seafood that is similar in size for cooking.
How to prepare squid before cooking? The main task is to remove the skin. She will give the product bad taste. You can simply pour boiling water over the carcass or pour water at a temperature of about 70 degrees for three minutes. The skin then peels off easily. You also need to remove the chord or backbone that is located in the carcass. This soft cartilage is usually easily removed and does not cause any difficulty.
How to cook squid so that it is soft (basic recipe)
The main secret to the juiciness of squid is short-term cooking. Seafood is never placed in cold water, like meat or fish. The liquid must be boiling.
Ingredients
1 kg squid;
Preparation
1. Place 2 liters of water in a saucepan, add 2 teaspoons of salt and place on the stove.
2. Pour the prepared squid carcasses with boiling water from a kettle and remove the skin with your fingers under running cold water. Usually it comes off easily.
3. Place the seafood in boiling water to which we have added salt.
4. Turn on maximum heat and cook for 1.5 minutes. Pull it out and you're done!
How long to steam squid
Many housewives are afraid to use water to cook seafood, so as not to make it tough. But in fact, you can also steam it and prepare a rubber delicacy. Therefore, you need to know how long to cook squid and how best to do it.
Ingredients
Squid;
Bay leaf;
Peppercorns.
Preparation
1. Place the prepared squids in a steamer container.
2. Add a bay leaf and a couple of peppercorns to the water. But it’s possible without them.
3. Set the timer for 10 minutes and that’s it! The assistant will do everything for you.
4. What to do if there is no steamer? You can use a pressure cooker, place a colander or other device on the pan. In this case, after the water boils, the carcasses are cooked for about 5-7 minutes.
How to cook frozen squid (in a saucepan)
Seafood is always thawed before cooking. But this must be done correctly, otherwise the product will be tasteless. And never use a microwave or hot water to defrost. So, how to cook frozen squid?
Ingredients
Squid;
Preparation
1. Take the seafood out of the freezer, put it in a cup and leave it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for 10 hours. They must thaw.
2. Or put it in cold water and leave it warm. The fluid needs to be changed periodically.
3. Drain the water from the carcasses and rinse.
4. Then scald the carcasses with boiling water and remove the skin.
5. Boil water with spices, add squid.
6. After boiling, cook for 2 minutes and remove. Cool and use.
How to cook squid for salad in a saucepan
It is not necessary to cook squid for salad in a large amount of water. If not used a large number of liquid, then less nutrients pass into the broth. Consequently, the product is more aromatic and tasty.
Ingredients
1 kg squid;
0.5 l of liquid;
You will also need a saucepan, but you can use a wide and low saucepan in which the carcasses will fit in one layer.
Preparation
1. Place the washed and cleaned carcasses in a saucepan.
2. Sprinkle salt on top, one teaspoon is enough.
3. You can also throw in a few peppercorns, bay leaves, and dried parsley leaves.
4. Boil water, pour into a saucepan, cover.
5. Let the seafood boil over maximum heat.
6. Reduce and simmer the carcasses at a low boil for three minutes. Then remove from the liquid and cool.
How to cook squid so that it is soft in 10 seconds?
This method is used by many restaurant chefs. It is a win-win, the product always remains juicy and is ideal for any dish. Its peculiarity is that the carcasses are cooked one at a time.
Ingredients
Squid;
Preparation
1. Peel the seafood, remove the chord and wash it.
2. Boil a liter of water, you can add salt and pepper. Turn the heat up to high, the water should be actively boiling.
3. Now take one carcass, lower it into the pan and count to 10. Take it out.
4. Take the second carcass, lower it, count it and take it out. And so on. It couldn't be simpler!
How and how long to cook squid in the microwave
Cooking squid in the microwave is just as quick and easy as cooking it on the stove. This method will help out if you can’t use a saucepan or the gas is suddenly turned off. You will need special microwave-safe dishes with a lid.
Ingredients
2 squid carcasses;
0.5 lemon;
2-3 tablespoons of water;
Preparation
1. We wash and prepare the carcasses according to all the rules, that is, remove the skin and remove the chord.
2. Place in a microwave-safe container.
3. Combine water with the juice that is squeezed from the lemon.
4. Add a pinch of salt and stir. You can add a pinch of ground pepper.
5. Pour lemon dressing over the squid carcasses.
6. Cover the container with a lid and place in the microwave.
7. How long should you cook squid? With a power of 700 watts, two and a half minutes are enough. If you set more power, then even less. At 800 exactly two minutes is enough.
How to cook frozen squid (without pre-thawing)
It turns out that if you don’t have time to defrost squid, you can cook them this way. But there is still something you need to know. How to cook frozen squid?
Ingredients
Squid;
Preparation
1. Take the carcasses out of the refrigerator and place them in one layer directly in the sink.
2. Boil the kettle and pour the carcasses on top. Use half of the prepared water.
3. Turn over to the other side and pour over the remaining boiling water.
4. Remove the skin and wash the seafood with running water.
5. Place in a pan with salted and bubbling water, you can add spices.
6. Cook in the usual way for two minutes.
How to cook squid for salad with lemon (vinegar)
Adding lemon juice or vinegar to the broth makes seafood especially tasty. And squid is no exception. Such seafood fits especially well into hearty salads with mayonnaise. But how do you cook squid with vinegar for salad?
Ingredients
2 spoons table vinegar;
Or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice;
1 kg squid;
2.5 liters of water;
Preparation
1. Throw vinegar into the water, add a pinch of salt and put it on the stove. Instead of vinegar, you can use lemon juice in the same way.
2. While the water is boiling, clean and prepare the carcasses.
3. Place the squid in boiling water, turn the heat to maximum and cook for four minutes.
4. Remove from the broth with a slotted spoon, cool and you can prepare delicious salads!
How and how long to cook squid pieces (rings)
Squids can be cooked not only whole, but also in pieces. Most often these are rings; less often, chopped carcasses are prepared into cubes or strips. And sometimes in the store you can find frozen rings, ready for cooking. But how long should you cook squid pieces so that they remain soft?
Ingredients
Squid;
Preparation
1. Lightly salt the water and put it on the stove. If desired, add herbs, spices, lemon juice.
2. Clean the carcasses, remove the chord and chop into rings one centimeter thick.
3. Place the prepared pieces in boiling water, boil for a minute and remove.
4. If the squids are cut smaller, then cook for even less time.
5. You can immediately cut the seafood into cubes or salad strips, in which case it is enough to boil for 15-30 seconds, and then simply drain into a colander.
How to cook squid with onions and carrots
A recipe for a second dish of squid and vegetables, which will simply help out if you don’t have time and need a quick lunch or dinner. The amount of vegetables can be added at your discretion.
Ingredients
1 squid;
1 carrot;
2 tablespoons of oil;
Bay leaf;
Salt pepper;
1 tomato.
Preparation
1. Cut the onion into cubes, throw it into the frying pan and fry for a minute.
2. Add grated carrots and cook the vegetables together until soft. At the end add the grated tomato. You can replace it with tomato paste or ketchup. It will be even faster.
3. While the vegetables are fried, clean the squid and cut into rings or just into strips, but not very small.
4. Add a glass of boiling water to the vegetables in the frying pan, add salt and pepper.
5. Place the squid pieces and cook for three minutes.
6. Add a bay leaf and you're done!
7. Place on plates, add herbs, you can add a spoonful of sour cream.
How to cook squid with rice
Rice and squid are a classic combination. Based on these two products there are many different recipes and at least one of them needs to be tried. But how and how long to cook squid with rice?
Ingredients
1 cup rice;
2 glasses of water;
2 squids;
1 onion;
1 carrot;
2 spoons of soy sauce;
Preparation
1. Chop the carrots into strips. Peel the onion and cut into cubes. Fry everything together in a deep frying pan.
2. Add soy sauce, stir, add pepper. You can add seasoning for pilaf, a mixture of spices for rice, cumin, cumin.
3. Add washed rice, pour boiling water and simmer under the lid for 15 minutes.
4. Pour boiling water over the squid and let sit for a minute. Rinse with cold water, remove the skin, remove the chord and cut into thin strips. But not very long.
5. Open the rice, add the squid, mix and leave covered for a couple of minutes. You can turn off the stove until they are ready.
6. Place on plates and decorate with herbs.
You don't have to cook the squid at all. This method is useful for those who have only one electric kettle or just boiling water. Place the prepared carcasses in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and spices, and pour boiling water over them. Cover and leave for 4 minutes. Ready! Seafood turns out juicy and tender.
If you are afraid of short-term cooking of squid, then add vinegar to the water. It kills germs well and also improves the taste of the product.
Squids will be especially aromatic and tasty if you put them in water citrus zest. You can use not only lemon peels, but also orange and grapefruit.
Is the squid overcooked and tough? Now don’t take it out of the pan, but cook for another half hour. The carcass will become softer and will not be so rubbery. But it is worth warning that it will greatly decrease in size.
Squids not only cook quickly, but also fry. It is enough to hold them in the pan for 1-2 minutes. Therefore, immediately turn up the heat on high, heat the oil well so that an appetizing crust has time to appear.
Squids in cooking represent valuable product. Tender meat contains a lot of easily digestible protein. Its taste is reminiscent of crab. Like all seafood, squid is rich in iodine, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium.
More information about how to choose a product with this type of processing, as well as all the methods for preparing it, can be read below.
How to choose the right frozen squid in the store and at the market
It should be noted that in Russia, squid fishing is developed only in the Far East. They can also be brought to us from the coastal countries of the Atlantic Ocean. As a rule, ships are involved in catching. The squid is processed and frozen on board.
Afterwards it cannot be defrosted and exposed again. low temperatures squid, so it can, at worst, cause harm to the body, and at best, it simply does not satisfy the buyer’s taste.
It is very easy to recognize whether a squid has been re-frozen. To do this you need to look at the appearance. A quality product should have white meat, but not yellow. It is acceptable that the skin may be brown or burgundy.
If seafood was frozen once, then one carcass cannot be stuck to another. An important criterion for selection is the availability of packaging and all the information on it. You should not buy frozen squid if the information on the package contradicts each other.
So, we can conclude that when choosing a properly frozen seafood product, you need to pay attention to the following facts:
- Meat color;
- Type of frozen carcass;
- The presence of bodies stuck together;
- Information on the packaging.
When high-quality frozen squids end up in the kitchen, the question arises - how to properly defrost and clean them.
How to defrost and clean squid
There are many ways to defrost, but the following two methods are considered the most useful:
- If the housewife intends to prepare a squid dish in the morning or afternoon, then she should take care of this in the evening. You need to put frozen carcasses on the refrigerator shelf with the highest temperature. In the morning the squid will be ready for further processing;
- If you don’t have much time, then you just need to defrost the product at room temperature. You can fill the carcasses with water, but not hot. Thus, the seafood will retain maximum vitamins. After 2-3 hours you can start cooking the squid.
Do not use hot water for defrosting. There is a risk that the squid will turn yellow and have an unpleasant taste.
After defrosting, you need to clean all the insides of the clam’s body. This is the thin and transparent backbone of the seafood - the chord and other plates. Remove the skin from the outside of the carcass and wash it with water. There is still a thin film on white meat, which also needs to be removed. To do this, you need to pour boiling water over the seafood. After this, place it in cold water and begin removing the transparent skin.
If the carcass does not need to be stuffed or cut into rings, then for ease of processing you can cut it lengthwise.
How and how much to cook squid to preserve their beneficial properties
Cook these sea creatures in boiling water with or without spices for a short time - up to a maximum of 3 minutes.
In fact, not everyone can cook squid. experienced chef. Required to comply exact time cooking - 1-3 minutes in boiling water. And this time depends on many factors: the variety, size and age of the marine inhabitant.
place the carcasses in a metal bowl and pour boiling water to the top. Cover with a lid and after a minute, drain the water and refill with boiling water. Hold them again for 1 minute and then start preparing salads.
This method guarantees that the cooked squid meat will be tender.
Let's figure out what delicious things can be prepared at home from frozen shellfish.
Squid salad recipe with signature sauce
Very tasty and original salad comes from squid and fresh cucumbers. But the highlight of this salad is special sauce. To prepare it you will need:
- Ketchup;
- Mayonnaise;
- Salt;
- Sesame oil;
- Garlic;
For about 3-4 tablespoons of mayonnaise you need to take one spoon of ketchup. The result is a pink mass. Three garlic on a grater just enough so that in the end the amount is equal to a teaspoon.
We do the same thing with onions, but there should be twice as much of it as garlic. The main ingredient in this sauce is sesame oil. It needs to be poured into the mixture gradually, preferably in two or three additions. After each addition, do a tasting.
First add a teaspoon of this oil, and then add more if there is a shortage. You don’t have to add salt if, for example, mayonnaise or ketchup was already salty enough.
For the salad itself, cut the squid into strips. Cut out the center with seeds from peeled cucumbers. You can do this with a spoon drawn along half of the vegetable.
At the end, mix the sauce with the salad ingredients and place the dish among the bowls.
Stuffed squid carcasses: satisfying and healthy
You can make more than just salads from squid. Here is a recipe for stuffed and baked seafood in foil.
You will need:
- Squid carcasses cleaned according to all rules, cooked rice for filling;
- Onions and carrots fried in a frying pan in oil;
- Grated hard cheese;
- Cream in such an amount that the filling does not turn out too liquid;
- Salt.
Cooking steps:
A simple recipe for making squid rings
For this dish you will need a small number of products:
- The squid itself, boiled and cut into rings;
- Sour cream of any fat content;
- Vegetable oil;
- Spices: pepper and salt;
- Onion, cut into rings.
The thickness of the rings should be about 5 mm. Slice the onion as thinly as possible. Heat the frying pan. Fry the squid and onion rings in sunflower oil for 2 minutes under the lid.
After, add a mixture of sour cream, salt and black pepper. Cook in the pan for another five minutes. Chilled dish You can sprinkle finely chopped dill on top.
Squid chops: an unusual and simple recipe
This dish can be served with rice and mushrooms, boiled potatoes and plain pasta. Cooks in 10-15 minutes, not counting the shellfish cleaning.
For the chops you will need:
- Squid fillet cut into flat pieces – 400 g;
- Eggs – 2 pcs;
- Garlic;
- Butter for frying;
- Breading;
- Salt.
Squeeze 2 cloves of garlic through a press and add it to two eggs. Beat the mixture with a mixer. Pieces of squid need to be beaten with a hammer, but without applying much effort. Dip the fillet into the eggs and garlic for 2 minutes.
Frying pan with butter heat up. Roll the battered seafood into breading and fry for 2 minutes on one side and 1 minute on the other side. This dish is served hot.
Below we will learn how to cook frozen squid rings in batter.
Appetizing rings fried in batter
Squid rings in batter – great snack. It takes a minimum of time to prepare, and even the busiest housewives will be able to include this dish in their menu. The simplest cooking method is the following: dip the rings in eggs, roll in flour or breadcrumbs, and fry until golden brown.
But there is more interesting recipe preparing this dish.
Cooking steps:
- The cut squid carcass into rings is mixed with spices and salt. For five minutes, the meat is soaked in salt and black pepper;
- The dried loaf is grated into fine crumbs (needed for breading);
- The eggs are beaten with the addition ground ginger and vinegar. All one teaspoon per two eggs;
- When foam appears, add 4 teaspoons to the flour mixture;
- Heat a frying pan with oil until bubbly;
- First dip the rings in the batter, then roll in the crushed loaf;
- Fry on both sides for 2-3 minutes, no more.
The finished rings can be placed in a colander to allow the oil to drain and blot in a paper towel. Place the rings on a large flat dish and serve with sour cream or herbs.
Recipe for crispy rings in batter with cheese
This dish will appeal to lovers of refined tastes. The combination of cheese and squid is exquisitely combined in this recipe. It is recommended to use suluguni for cooking. But other varieties of soft will also work. dairy product. You need to take 250 grams of cheese per 400-500 grams of squid rings.
Suluguni is cut into cubes and breaded in flour. Squid rings are rolled in flour with the addition of paprika. For half a glass of flour, take a tablespoon of pepper.
Beat 4 eggs with two tablespoons of milk. Then both the cheese and the rings need to be dipped in the egg mixture. Roll all the pieces again in corn or wheat flour and fry.
The finished dish can be eaten with black olives.
- The squid fin meat is slightly tougher than the rest of the carcass.
- The smaller the carcass, the more tender and tastier the meat. Sometimes there is even a sweetish aftertaste.
- If the cooking time for the shellfish exceeds 3 minutes, the squid is considered overcooked and tough. But further cooking it – up to 30 minutes – will help correct the situation. Afterwards the meat will become soft again, but there will be practically no vitamins left in it.
- The meat of these seafood requires a lot of salt, but it is important to know the limit and not to oversalt, otherwise you may not feel the taste of the seafood.
- Frying the squid should also happen quickly - no more than two minutes, preferably 1 minute, and then leave the fillets or rings under the lid for 5 minutes.
Simple and delicious salad from squid from the chef, watch the video master class:
Bon appetit!
This may seem strange, but such tasty and tender seafood as squid, unfortunately, are rare guests on our tables. It would seem that their incredibly low cost and ease of preparation should make squid one of the most popular products when preparing seafood dishes. However, an incomplete description of how to cook squid in most recipes often leads to the wrong result. With our story today we will try to correct the current situation, because correctly and skillfully prepared squid dishes are distinguished not only by incredible tenderness and high taste qualities, but also extraordinary nutritional value and even healing properties.
Squid meat is rich in essential amino acids and is literally a storehouse of protein. In terms of the content of easily digestible proteins and B vitamins, squid is several times higher than such familiar products as fish or animal meat. In addition, squids are rich in polyunsaturated fats, which play an essential role in a properly balanced diet. And, of course, like many other seafood, squid is extremely rich in valuable minerals such as iron, phosphorus, iodine, and copper. Another distinctive feature of squid is the high content of extractive substances in its meat, which promote the secretion of digestive juices, which makes squid an important and healthy product for everyone who suffers from diseases of the digestive tract.
The unusually delicate taste and aroma of squid is completely devoid of a pronounced fishy taste and rather resembles the taste of lobster meat. Squids are great not only for making salads, but also for frying, stewing, and making soups. Squid meat is most widely used in Mediterranean and Asian cuisines. The specifics of cooking squid meat require knowledge of some simple secrets and tips, those secrets that “Culinary Eden” has carefully collected and prepared for you today. So, how to cook squid?
1. When choosing squid, pay close attention to ensure that the carcasses of frozen squid are not stuck together and are easily separated from each other. Squids stuck together in one lump will tell you that they have already been defrosted. The meat of such squid can taste bitter and spread when cooked. The color of the film covering the squid carcass can range from gray, slightly pink to purple, but the color of the meat itself must be white. If the color of the squid meat is different from white, this means that the squid has already been defrosted, and its meat has absorbed the color of the shell. The taste of such meat can be irreparably damaged.
2. Many people consider cleaning squid to be a troublesome and unpleasant task, however, this is not at all the case. To quickly and easily remove the film covering the squid, place the frozen squid in a deep bowl and pour boiling water over it. Almost all of the squid skin will immediately curl up and come away from the meat. Immediately drain the boiling water and clean the squid from any remaining film under running water, then carefully remove the insides and the transparent chord (spine) with your fingers. Your squids are completely ready for further culinary processing!
3. The easiest way to prepare squid is boiling. Very often it is recommended to boil squid for 3 - 5 minutes. And therein lies a fatal mistake! Squids prepared in this way are tough and tasteless. The secret is simple. Squid meat should be cooked for less than three minutes or more than 30. After 30 minutes of cooking, the squid meat will become soft and tender again, but will lose a lot of weight and volume. In order to properly boil squid, boil two liters of water in a saucepan, add salt to taste, bay leaf and peppercorns. Let the water and spices simmer for another 5 minutes. Then place the thawed and cleaned squids one at a time into boiling water. Gently lower one squid into the water, quickly count to ten and remove the squid with a slotted spoon. Let the water boil again and lower the next squid. Squid boiled in this way turns out incredibly tender, soft and tasty.
4. Boiled squid can be eaten as a main dish, sprinkled with any white sauce, or can be used to make salads. Try this refreshingly tender Mediterranean squid salad. Cut half a bunch of lettuce leaves not too finely, place in a deep salad bowl, sprinkle with lemon juice and stir. 150 gr. Feta cheese (or Adyghe cheese) cut into cubes. Cut one boiled squid into thin strips. 100 gr. Separate seedless green grapes from the branches and cut each berry in half. Place cheese, squid and grapes in a salad bowl with lettuce, salt, season with 2 tbsp. spoons of olive oil and mix gently.
5. Extraordinary delicious snack it turns out if you deep fry squid rings. Defrost and peel 1 kg. squid Cut them into thin rings. To prepare the batter, thoroughly mix ½ kg. wheat flour, ½ liter of light weak beer, 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon of salt. The finished batter should resemble sour cream in thickness. Heat 1 liter of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan or saucepan. Bread each squid ring in flour, dip in batter and fry in boiling oil until golden brown. Fry for no more than 2 - 3 minutes! Remove the finished rings from the oil with a slotted spoon and place in a colander or on a paper towel to get rid of any remaining oil. Serve with two to three different types of sauces.
6. Fried squid as a main hot dish? Easily! Easy and very simple. Cut two small squid into rings. Cut two onions into half rings, and two cloves of garlic into thin petals. In a deep frying pan, heat 2 tbsp. spoons of olive oil and fry the onion and garlic in it until golden brown. Then add squid, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of tomato paste, salt, black and red pepper to taste. Mix everything and fry over medium heat for 2 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and serve with a side dish of boiled potatoes or rice.
7. Cutlets made from squid meat are unusually tasty, tender and aromatic. Prepared in the usual way, they will delight you with a delicate taste and delicate aroma; steamed, these cutlets will serve as an exquisite dietary dish. Rinse and peel ½ kg. squid Pass them once through a meat grinder with a fine grid. Then pass the minced squid through a meat grinder a second time, along with 2 slices of white bread soaked in cream, one hard-boiled egg, one onion and 1 - 2 cloves of garlic. Add salt, black pepper and ground rosemary to the finished minced meat to taste. Mix everything thoroughly and beat lightly with a whisk or mixer. Form small cutlets from the resulting minced meat, roll in a mixture of breadcrumbs and sesame seeds, and then fry in vegetable oil on both sides until golden brown. Serve with fresh vegetable salad and cream sauce.
8. A truly delicious dish is a puree soup made from cauliflower and squid. With its delicate combination of light texture and charming aroma, this soup can captivate anyone. Place 500 g in a small saucepan. cauliflower, disassembled into inflorescences. Add one carrot, cut into large pieces, and one onion, cut into quarters. Fill the vegetables with water so that it only slightly tears them, add salt and cook over moderate heat for 30 - 35 minutes. Drain the broth into a separate bowl, and grind the boiled vegetables in a blender or meat grinder. Transfer the vegetable puree back to the pan, add 100 g. heavy cream and dilute with vegetable broth to the desired thickness. Add two small squids, cut into rings, to the prepared vegetable soup. Place the pot of soup on the fire, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
9. Of course, when talking about seafood, it is difficult to ignore such a popular Mediterranean dish as risotto all over the world. Let's try making squid risotto? Peel and cut into long thin strips 430 g. squid In a small frying pan, heat 1 tbsp. a spoonful of olive oil, add to it one teaspoon each of oregano and rosemary leaves (fresh or dry), a little red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic. Fry for 30 seconds and then add the squid. Cook for another 1 minute. Remove from heat and discard any juice released by the squid. Combine the squid juice with 5 cups of fish stock in a separate saucepan and bring to a boil. In a deep frying pan over high heat, heat 2 tbsp. spoons of olive oil, add 3 finely chopped cloves of garlic and fry them until golden brown, 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Then add 1 ¼ cups long grain rice and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour 1 cup of dry white wine into the rice and cook until it is completely absorbed. Don't forget to stir! Next, start adding a mixture of fish broth and squid juice. Add ½ cup at a time. Add each subsequent portion only when the rice has completely absorbed the previous one. Don't forget to stir the rice thoroughly and don't turn down the heat! Cook the rice in this manner until it is almost tender, just slightly crispy (al dente). It will take you 18 - 20 minutes. Add your squid to the finished rice, 3 tbsp. tablespoons of chopped parsley, mix everything thoroughly and heat over low heat for 1 minute. Before serving, add salt, black pepper and a little lemon juice.
10. If the previous recipe seemed too complicated to you, don’t worry, but try to cook another Mediterranean dish. Squid with raisins and pine nuts is prepared in Italy on Christmas Eve. 700 gr. Cut the squid into small pieces. Heat 2 tbsp in a frying pan. spoons of olive oil, add 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic and fry until golden brown. Then add the squid, 2 cups finely chopped canned or fresh tomatoes, ½ cup water, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer everything together for 10 minutes. Add ½ cup black olives, ¼ cup raisins and 2 tbsp. spoons of pine nuts. Mix everything thoroughly and simmer under the lid for another 10 - 15 minutes. Serve with crispy bread or croutons.
Of course, it is not physically possible to describe all the endless variety of squid dishes, especially within the framework of a short article, but knowing the basic secrets of preparing these delicious seafood will definitely help you choose and tell you how to cook squid. And “Culinary Eden” on its pages is always ready to delight you with more and more new recipes for preparing squid dishes.
There is simply no need to once again remind about the benefits of seafood - it is well known that seafood perfectly saturates and supplies the body big amount complete and at the same time easily digestible protein, contain many minerals and vitamins and, moreover, are not dangerous for the figure. Simply put, sheer advantages! If not for one, but significant drawback: high-quality seafood, be it fish or other underwater inhabitants, are not cheap. And therefore, not everyone can afford to enjoy delicious and healthy dishes made from them every day. Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem. It may be far from ideal, but at least it allows you to diversify your menu and your family’s diet - this is frozen seafood. And most often, when we talk about them, we mean frozen squid. These marine animals have been food for humans since ancient times, and with the advent and development of new technologies for processing and storing food, their purchase and preparation have become much easier and more accessible. In addition, due to the dense consistency of the meat, squid tolerates deep freezing well and almost does not lose its nutritional qualities. But, of course, only if it is properly defrosted and cooked. We invite you to talk about the intricacies of preparing frozen squid today.
Squid: what is it and how is it eaten?Squids in the natural environment, that is, in the waters of the seas and oceans, are cephalopods, which are also called ten-armed mollusks because of the number of their flexible tentacles, which these marine animals use for movement and hunting. Yes, yes, hunting: absolutely all types of squid, from very small ones to giant krakens, are predators by type of food. So not only humans catch and eat squids, but they, in turn, are no less aggressive links in the food chain. There are even known cases of especially large individuals attacking people - not in legends about pirates, but in reality. These monsters grow up to 20 meters in length and are considered the largest invertebrates on our planet. But, of course, it is not they who end up in the nets of fishermen and for free sale, but their brothers, who live mainly in the warm seas washing the shores of China, Japan, Vietnam and Peru. The common squid rarely grows longer than half a meter and weighs on average about one and a half kilograms. These are the kinds of carcasses you can find in any supermarket, pre-cleaned, gutted and subjected to deep “shock” freezing.
“In life,” the squid you bought looked a little different: its elongated body had a reddish color with gray splashes and five pairs of fins. Even earlier, it hatched from one of dozens of eggs, within which it developed for about a month. An adult, sexually mature squid moves at different depths in search of food, and it is relatively easy to catch. Therefore, for residents of Asian and Mediterranean countries, squid fishing is a common trade, a means of earning a living and obtaining a traditional food product. Here squid are taken out of the water in whole schools, using nets to drag them out of the water onto the deck of an industrial ship. It is also a floating catch processing plant, in the hold of which squid are processed, cleaned of fins and gladius (a long cartilage that runs along the body and replaces both the shell and the skeleton for cephalopods). Here, the processed carcasses are cut into rings (if this is assumed by the shape of the final product) or directly frozen entirely at a temperature of about -20°C. Under such physical conditions, dangerous microorganisms found in seafood die, and the water turns into ice, preserving chemical composition carcasses. The main thing is that such freezing should be one-time, because during thawing and re-freezing, pathogenic microflora begins to develop at a rapid pace, and the risk of poisoning from such seafood is very high.
Frozen squid: rules for selection and safety
Of course, the properties of frozen and fresh products are not the same: any comparison will be in favor of the second option. But given the unavailability fresh seafood For everyone who lives more than 500 kilometers from salt water bodies, compromises have to be made. Moreover, modern technologies freezing and transportation make it possible to maintain at least the safety of such food. Is it really? It all depends on compliance with the storage conditions of frozen seafood. As for squid, when purchasing frozen carcasses, packaged or in bulk, be sure to pay attention to the appearance of the product. If the pieces have frozen into one lump and/or layer covered with a crust of ice, the weight of which occupies a significant part of the total weight of the purchase, then this is a sure sign that the seafood has been defrosted and frozen again several times. Purchasing and eating such squid may result in best case scenario problems with digestion, or, at worst, quite severe poisoning. But even if troubles can be avoided, taste and nutritional quality of such mollusks are much lower than expected. To protect yourself from disappointment and wasting money on a low-quality product, follow these criteria for choosing frozen squid (these are also true for other frozen seafood): 
- Buy frozen seafood only at specialized and specially equipped points of sale: they must be equipped with powerful and sufficiently large refrigeration chambers, transparent freezer display cases, etc., allowing you to clearly see the product without removing it from an environment suitable for the temperature.
- Take the time to inquire about the origin (place of catch) and date of production of the squid. You also have the right to demand to see a quality certificate and documents from the sanitary station authorizing the sale of frozen seafood.
- Refuse to purchase if you doubt its quality or suspect that the product has been defrosted and re-frozen. Buy the squid first, and not the icy glaze around it - it is the first sign of a violation of storage conditions.
- Prepare and eat purchased seafood on the same day it was purchased. Not a single household refrigerator is able to provide proper storage frozen squid, especially after they were brought from the store at normal air temperature.
Cooking frozen squid: recipes
You can cook both canned and frozen squid. When buying frozen ones, choose those carcasses whose meat is white, and you can ignore the shade of the skin: from light lilac to silver-gray it is considered normal for these mollusks. When you bring a frozen carcass from the store and open the package, do not hesitate to start cooking and do not bother yourself with defrosting the product. Whatever dish you are going to prepare - a stuffed main course, salad, soup or appetizer, from a whole squid carcass or rings, feel free to use frozen shellfish. But do not forget that even to prepare sushi, squid must be subjected to at least quick heat treatment. To do this, boil water without salt in a saucepan of a suitable size, put a few peppercorns and bay leaves into the boiling water and lower the frozen squid into the boiling water for 15-20 seconds, no more. After this, immediately remove the clam from the pan and proceed to the implementation of one of these proven experienced housewives and their household recipes: 
- "Fast" squids"– an excellent option for dinner when you no longer have the strength to perform feats at the stove. Just take squid carcasses (any quantity), the simplest vegetables you can find in the house (for example, carrots and onions), a little vegetable oil (for frying), salt, ground pepper and/or other spices to taste. Boil the squid carcasses as described above and cut into wide strips. Peel the vegetables, cut into cubes and lightly fry in vegetable oil in a deep frying pan or saucepan. As soon as the onion becomes transparent, add the chopped squid to the vegetables and simmer everything together under the lid over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, season with salt and spices. The side dish for such squids can be anything - for example, boiled rice, pasta or even buckwheat porridge left over from breakfast.
- Stuffed squid– this recipe will require more time and effort, but the finished dish also looks much more respectable. To create it, take three medium-sized squid carcasses, dip them in boiling water, and remove the film if necessary. For the filling you will need half a glass of rice (preferably the elongated variety), two eggs, 50 grams of hard cheese, 200 grams of sour cream, 1 can of pickled champignons, 1 large onion and 1 carrot, salt and spices - to your taste, vegetable oil for greasing the frying pan. Hard-boil the eggs, boil the rice until tender and drain the water. Chop the vegetables finely and fry in a little oil. When the onion becomes transparent, add chopped champignons to the pan and add seasonings, stir. Turn off the gas and cover the pan with a lid. Meanwhile, cut the eggs into small cubes and add them to the vegetables and mushrooms along with the rice - the filling is ready.
Fill each carcass with the filling and place in a heat-resistant form with the hole facing up. Additionally, you can sew up the holes with food thread or pin them with wooden toothpicks. Fill the squid in the form with sour cream and sprinkle with cheese, grated on a fine grater. Bake in the oven, uncovered, at about 200°C for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown. Serve whole or cut the carcasses crosswise, with vegetable side dish and/or rice. As for sauces, the sour cream in which the squid was baked should be enough, but you can additionally use any thick fermented milk sauce for fish (based on low-fat sour cream, matsoni or yogurt). - Squid in wine- a dish worthy of a festive table, or at least romantic dinner by candlelight. At the same time, it is prepared from fairly simple and accessible ingredients: about 750 grams of squid meat (the “net” weight of carcasses already thawed and processed in boiling water is taken into account), half a glass (125 ml) of dry white wine, 3 ripe tomatoes, 3 cloves of garlic, a bunch of fresh parsley, half a glass of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of salt, a pinch ground pepper(white would be good), 1 can of pitted olives, juice of half a large lemon.
Rub the inside of the prepared (thawed in boiling water) squid carcasses with salt and cut into rings. Peel and chop the garlic. Scald the tomatoes with boiling water, remove the skins from them and also chop finely. Pour olive oil into a saucepan, add wine and add squid. Then mix with tomatoes, garlic and chopped parsley and simmer over low heat, covered, until soft. After this, season the dish with pepper directly on the stove, turn off the heat and transfer the squid along with the resulting sauce to a plate for serving. Pour over lemon juice, garnish with sliced olives and a few parsley leaves. - Squid salad with pineapple– another delicious and beautiful snack. To create it you will need about 300 grams of squid (carcass or rings), one jar at a time canned pineapples and corn, half an onion, 150 grams of low-fat sour cream or thick natural yogurt, a bunch of fresh herbs to your taste, a pinch of salt, a pinch of ground pepper. Cut the squid meat into small cubes. If the pineapple is canned in rings, then cut it too, if into cubes, then simply drain the syrup and mix with corn and squid in a deep salad bowl. Scald the onion with boiling water and chop finely, add to the salad. Chop 2/3 of the greens and mix with the salad. Season with sour cream (yogurt), salt and pepper, stir. Garnish the salad with the remaining herbs and serve as an aperitif.
- Squid rings in batter– one of the most popular snacks of the summer beer season! Which you can prepare at any time of the year - just take 500 grams of squid (carcass or already cut into rings), 150 grams of any hard cheese or feta cheese (to taste), 1 egg, 1 glass of sour cream, 3 tablespoons of milk, 1 tablespoon each wheat flour and breadcrumbs, 1 bunch of parsley, a couple of cloves of garlic, a pinch of salt and ground pepper, vegetable oil for frying.
Cut squids thawed in boiling water into rings or use already sliced ones. Make the batter by beating the egg with milk, salt and pepper. Breadcrumbs mix with flour and, if desired, a small amount of spices. Dip each ring in batter, then in breading and fry on both sides in a frying pan generously greased with oil. Place the fried rings on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: grate the cheese on a fine grater (crumb the cheese), finely chop the parsley, peel and chop the garlic; mix it all with sour cream. Serve the squid on wide dish, and the sauce is in a deep bowl to dip the fried rings into. - Pasta with squid- a hearty and very tasty dish that will appeal to both a hungry man and a sophisticated young lady. To please each of them, take 2 large squid carcasses, 50 grams of spaghetti, 7 king prawns, 100 ml of heavy cream, 1 small onion and 1 clove of garlic. Make transverse shallow cuts in both squid carcasses and plunge into boiling water for 15 seconds. Remove, place in a deep bowl, cover tightly with a lid and set aside for a while. Boil the spaghetti “al dente” - that is, about 85% of readiness. Peel the shrimp and cut each into three parts, finely chop the onion and fry everything together for a couple of minutes. Then pour the cream into the same frying pan, add the spaghetti, stir, cover with a lid and after exactly 1 minute turn off the heat under the frying pan.
Divide the contents of the frying pan equally between the squid carcasses, stuffing them with spaghetti and sauce. Decorate the dish at your discretion - with fresh herbs, olives or fresh vegetables. You can simplify the recipe by not stuffing the squid, but simply mixing it with pasta in the sauce - it depends solely on your desire, occasion and/or availability of free time and mood.
