How to clean squid before cooking. Chef's tips: how to quickly clean squid? Sea predator delicacies

Alexander Gushchin

I can’t vouch for the taste, but it will be hot :)

Content

Cleaning and cooking squid has its own characteristics, failure to comply with which will certainly affect the taste of the finished dish. Squids are the main component of many salads; they are used to prepare delicious soups, snacks. Valuable protein, minerals and vitamins, as well as an affordable price, explain the popularity of this seafood. The taste and health benefits of a dish depend on many factors, but primarily on the main ingredient.

How to choose a quality product

Choosing the right products is the first place to start. When choosing in the store, pay attention to unpeeled squid. When cleaning carcasses in production, steam treatment is used; after cooking, their meat turns out dry and tough. Selection tips:

• The shellfish must be whole with a smooth surface.
• Fresh squids have a pinkish tint, but can be gray or purple. Foreign color on the carcass indicates that violations were committed during storage.
• The release date and the implementation date must correspond to each other.
• You should not buy the product if the carcass is a lump of indeterminate shape. Consequently, the product has already been defrosted and frozen more than once. Ice of a yellowish tint, a brownish color of the carcass with multiple breaks and cracks will only confirm your suspicions.
• An expired expiration date, as well as blurry numbers on the packaging, are a reason to postpone the purchase.

How to clean

You need to defrost it before cleaning. Some housewives strive to speed up this process and to do this, place the carcasses in hot water. From such a thermal effect, they will really quickly defrost, but all the nutritional value of the seafood will “go away” into the hot water. Squids, however, like any frozen product (meat, fish, offal), should be defrosted at room temperature. As soon as the mollusks become plastic, we begin cleaning. To do this you will need a cutting board and a sharp knife.

With one hand, press the squid firmly onto the cutting board, and with the other, carefully remove the skin (thin film) from it. It happens that the film is difficult to clean. Then you need to put the squid in a colander and pour boiling water over it. The film is simply washed off with water, and the one that remains is easily cleaned.

If the mollusk has a head and tentacles, they need to be cut off. The head can be thrown away without regret, and the tentacles will be useful for one very tasty snack - stuffed squid, but more on that later. Cut off the “wings” from the carcass and remove the skin from them. They can also be used for food. Now you need to clean the squid from the inside. There are transparent chitinous plates similar to cellophane - they need to be carefully cut out.

Heat treatment

Heat treatment is another difficulty that many housewives face when preparing squid. Once you overcook them a little, the meat will become tough and tasteless. In addition, it will greatly decrease in size. So that the shellfish does not lose its taste and delights you with its delicate juiciness, cook it for only 1.5-2 minutes. There is another option for cooking squid. They are poured with boiling water, covered with a lid and kept in water for 10-15 minutes. Regardless of the cooking method, first boil water with salt, bay leaf, allspice and hot peppercorns, and after three minutes, lower the carcasses into it. Spices will kill the specific smell of the inhabitant of the deep sea. Most often, shellfish serve as one of the ingredients in various salads. If they are served as an independent dish in the form of an appetizer, it is recommended to sprinkle it with lemon juice and sprinkle with fresh herbs (rosemary, parsley, basil).

Stuffed squid

As already mentioned, the tentacles and “wings” are used as food. They can be used to stuff shellfish. Stuffed squids will be an excellent appetizer at a festive feast.

Cooking method:

1. Clean and wash the clam, chop the tentacles into small pieces, about 1x1 cm.
2. Grind three cloves of garlic, add pepper, salt, herbs.
3. Beat one yolk with a spoon of vegetable oil and mix with herbs and chopped tentacles.
4. We stuff the squids with this filling and pierce them with toothpicks.
5. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the carcasses over high heat on both sides.
6. Pour in 100 g of white wine, add parsley, paprika and simmer under a closed lid until the squid becomes soft.
7. Place the carcasses on a wide dish, pour over the sauce in which they were stewed, and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Find out more,

Squid is a very valuable and tasty seafood. It will perfectly diversify your family's usual diet. Many housewives do not want cook squid, considering that clean the squid very hard. But we will prove to you that this is not so. And when you finish cleaning, you can decide what to cook. Squid can be boiled and prepared in various salads and all kinds of snacks. Squids are also fried, stewed, marinated, stuffed, dried, smoked and made into minced meat.

But how to properly clean squid?

1 Let's take the most difficult situation as a basis - you bought a whole squid. You can easily determine where the carcass's head is - it has tentacles. Grab the head with your hand and, holding the body of the squid, pull it towards you. This way you can easily remove the insides. You will also need to remove the chitin plate, which is something like hard plastic spaghetti, but flat. It can be easily felt inside the carcass and is no less easily removed. At the head, cut off the tentacles near the eyes. Carcasses are often sold with the heads already removed. In this case, simply remove all the insides. If you come across gutted carcasses, then the work will be half as much.

2 Now let's move on to removing the films. Both colored films and transparent films should be removed from both the outside and the inside. It is the transparent films that become very hard during heat treatment, and the whole squid carcass shrinks, which is undesirable when preparing stuffed squid. If the squid is fresh, the film comes off on its own in one go. But if the squid was purchased frozen, then everything is not so simple. We will tell you how to quickly and easily clean squid. First way(if the squid has already thawed). Take 2 containers. Fill one with ice water (we use ice). And put squid in the other. Scald the carcasses with boiling water and quickly transfer them to ice water. Now removing films is easier than ever. Do not overcook the squids in boiling water so that they simply do not cook. Dry the carcass well before cooking. Second way. Scald frozen squids with boiling water and immediately drain the water. The peel instantly curls up and you can easily remove it.

How to cook squid

Squid meat, completely cleared of all films, is quite tender and soft. Cooking squid can be done in two different ways. You can cook over high heat for 1.5-3 minutes (as soon as the squid meat turns white, remove it immediately). Or simmer over low heat for 40 minutes. You can fry the squid rings over very high heat for 5-7 minutes with additives (fried vegetables, for example) and up to 3 minutes without additives, or simmer over low heat for 40 minutes. If you want to cook stuffed squid, then fill the carcasses with either the already prepared filling and simply fry on both sides until cooked. Or pour liquid over the stuffed carcasses and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Sometimes squids are baked in the oven. The main thing is not to overcook the squid, otherwise the meat will become “rubbery” and tasteless, although this situation can be corrected by stewing the squid longer. If you cleaned the squid as above, the cooking time may be reduced due to scalding.

Squids are ten-armed edible mollusks of the cephalopod order, which are simply irreplaceable in cooking. Hundreds of dishes are prepared from this sea creature: salads, soups, snacks. For example, crispy rings in batter can be served both as an appetizer and as an addition to the holiday table. And to make the food tasty, you need to know how to properly clean squid. There are many secrets and rules in this process.

In general, if you have this “rare guest” product in your diet, correct yourself urgently: squid meat contains iron and potassium, iodine, zinc and selenium.

It has no cholesterol at all, but a lot of protein.

The calorie content is relatively low - 100 kcal per 100 grams (the amount of kcal varies depending on the method of preparation).

Dishes with squid are a high-quality “building” material for muscle tissue, which has a general strengthening, anti-sclerotic, and vascular tonic effect.

When consumed, this sea shellfish removes toxins and heavy metal salts, improves digestion and supports the functioning of the endocrine system (especially the thyroid gland).

Typically, this product is rarely used by those housewives who do not know how to clean squid, what part to eat, as well as how to cook it correctly and how much for a salad or some other dish. Of course, there are difficulties, but they are minimal! Once you’ve done everything, you’ll only be left wondering why you couldn’t do it before!

How to clean squid from film: basic methods

There are 3 main ways to deal with the film on a carcass - clean without heat treatment and use blanching, pre-boiling.

Cold method

1. Take a fresh or frozen carcass in your hand and pull off the film with a “stocking”.
2. If the film is not removed with a sharp movement, it can be peeled off little by little, pulling it away with smooth movements.
3. After removing the film, the insides of the marine animal and the notochord (a chitinous backbone) are removed.

Hot method

If the freezing method is unknown, especially if the squid thawed and froze again during storage, or was covered with ice, or was crushed and deformed, then the “stocking” cleaning method is not suitable for it.

1. Such shellfish should be placed in a heat-resistant colander and lowered into boiling water for 7-10 seconds.
2. Then take it out and immediately plunge it into ice water. In most cases, the film will wrinkle and peel off on its own.
3. Sometimes you will need to work a little with your hands and remove its remains from the carcass.

Cleaning cooked squid

1. If the squid was boiled in film, then to remove it you need to slightly cool the carcass.
2. After this, you can use a new soft kitchen brush.
3. It is enough to rub the carcass a little, and the film will gather into balls and peel off.

Experienced chefs do not like to use this method - the taste of the finished seafood deteriorates.

How to clean fresh squid

If you are lucky enough to purchase a freshly caught shellfish, then you need to clean it immediately. The process diagram is simple:

1. We hold the whole carcass well with one hand, with the other we tightly clasp the head just behind the eyes and confidently pull it out - in one hand the body with fins remains, and in the other - the head with tentacles and entrails:
2. We cut off the tentacles and throw away the rest (eyes, entrails, the longest “whisker”). Be careful with the beak - it may remain with tentacles, remove it, they do not eat it;
3. we free the carcass from the remaining entrails and chitinous core - we simply pull it out by hand;
4. We tighten the film under running water.

Cleaning whole frozen carcasses

1. To clean the squid, you need to defrost it.
2. The best way to defrost is gradual, gentle.
3. To do this, the carcass is transferred from the freezer to the refrigerator compartment.
4. When it thaws, you need to move it to room temperature and keep it until the normal state is completely restored.
5. We clean it in the same way as freshly caught fish. Afterwards, rinse the carcasses with water and place them in boiling water.
6. The length of stay in boiling water depends on further actions.
7. If you immerse it in ice water after scalding, then a 10-second blanching is enough. Carcasses removed from cold water can be easily cleaned by hand. This method is reliable, but squid cleaned using this method is not as tasty.
8. If the squid will be cleaned immediately after being removed from boiling water, then you need to keep it in the water for about a minute. The film is carefully cleaned with a brush. The meat of squid cleaned using this method is juicier after cooking.

The easiest and fastest way to clean

1. Frozen carcasses should be placed in a bowl, poured with boiling water for a couple of minutes, then placed under running cold water and cleaned with your hands from the film, chord and entrails.
2. This method is really fast and simple. Its only drawback is that the squid becomes less juicy and flavorful and becomes tougher.

You can use this “shock” method only if there is an acute lack of time for gentle defrosting.

Seafood in general and squid in particular are extremely healthy. But how to choose a truly healthy seafood? How to properly clean and boil squid? Let's try to understand the review.

If you want to buy a “no-hassle” product, buy cleaned squid. But if you need tasty and healthy seafood, choose only unpeeled carcasses.

There are about ten types of squid on the Russian seafood market, but only a few of them deserve attention. Komandorsky squid is considered one of the best. Appearance: unpeeled carcass. Length: 35 cm. Skin color: gray with purple, uneven. Supplier: Russia.

Patagonian squid is also highly prized. Appearance: unpeeled carcass 2-23 cm long. Skin color: red-brown, brown, uneven. Supplier: Spain.

In general, the color of squid depends on the type of cephalopod and can be grayish-white (but not grey), pink, blue, or purple.

How to choose chilled and frozen squid?

Important: the younger the squid, the more tender its meat. Choose small carcasses.

What to look for when choosing chilled squid:

• The carcass is dense and elastic.
• Squids must have a chitinous chord (spine).
• Smell: fresh fish. A faint ammonia odor may be present.

What to look for when choosing frozen squid:

• The amount of ice on the carcass is 8% of the total weight of the cephalopod.
• Frozen carcasses are easily separated from each other.
• The color of the meat under the skin is only white!
• The skin is intact, without obvious damage.

Do I need to clean squid before cooking?

Answer: yes. During cooking, the unpeeled skin can impart bitterness to the squid meat.

How to easily and quickly clean fresh and defrosted squid at home?

Procedure for cleaning fresh/chilled squid:

• Place the squid on a work surface.

• Take the clam's head just behind the eyes (where it connects to the mantle). Pull your head forward, breaking the ligaments. The insides should slide out. Be careful not to damage the ink (sepia) bag.

• Find the chitinous chord inside the mantle and remove it.

• Remove the top film by carefully prying it off with a knife.

• Rinse and, if necessary, divide into portions.

• Cut off the clam's tentacles and place them separately. Remove the squid's beak located between the tentacles. Pour boiling water over the tentacles and place them in ice water. Rinse, rubbing thoroughly with your fingers to remove the thin skin.

Procedure for cleaning defrosted squid:

Important: Frozen squids should be thawed by placing them in cold water.

• Pour boiling water over slightly thawed squid carcasses. Leave for 30-60 s.
• Remove the squid from the boiling water and place it in ice water. Due to a sharp change in temperature, the skin peels off on its own.

Rinse the squid under running water, removing any remaining skin.

How to properly and quickly clean a squid carcass?

This is discussed in detail in the previous part of the review.

How to properly and quickly clean squid tentacles?

See the previous part of the review.

How to properly clean frozen squid from film?

The test above shows the most common method of cleaning frozen squid.

At the end of the article you can watch a video with a master class on cleaning squid from chef Ilya Lazerson.

How to clean squid after cooking?

It is better to clean squid before cooking, since the unpeeled film imparts a bitter taste to the boiled squid meat.

How to store cleaned squid?

Squids are perishable foods.

Peeled raw squid can be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature from 0 to +4⁰С for about 48 hours.

The shelf life of boiled squid should not exceed 12 hours. They should be stored in hermetically sealed containers.

How to cook peeled squid in water after boiling for salad and how long?

• Squids are cooked one or two carcasses at a time to prevent overcooking of the seafood.
• Spices and seasonings used when preparing squid: salt, peppercorns, dill. If desired, you can also add basil or parsley.
• Pour 1.5-2 liters of water into a saucepan, add spices and salt, bring to a boil.
• Place the cleaned squid carcasses into boiling water. Cooking time: 2 min.
• Remove seafood from water and add next batch. Ready seafood should be cooled immediately.

Important: if you cook a lot of shellfish, add water, salt and spices from time to time.

Chef Ilya Lazerson offers an interesting way to clean and prepare squid. A detailed master class can be watched in the video at the end of the article.

Video: Squid salad in two ways. Lazerson

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 prepare wonderful, healthy, tasty dishes from them that 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 must be properly cleaned. 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 harvested within a few hours' drive from your home, it is unlikely that you will be able to purchase them fresh. 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 what makes the meat tough during 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. It's enough to know a few simple techniques, which will help you prepare seafood for further use in your favorite dishes. This product is a source of useful substances, including proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Many people value seafood for its dietary properties. In addition, such food is tasty and healthy for the body.