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Cleaning, cooking squid has its own characteristics, non-observance of which will certainly affect the taste of the finished dish. Squids are the main component of many salads; delicious soups and snacks are prepared from them. Valuable protein, minerals and vitamins, as well as an affordable price, explain the popularity of this seafood. Tasting and healthy benefits of a dish depend on many factors, but primarily on the main ingredient.
How to choose a quality product
The right choice of products is the first thing to start with. When choosing in a store, pay attention to unclean squids. When cleaning carcasses in production, steam treatment is used, after cooking their meat is dry and hard. Tips for choosing:
- Shellfish must be intact with a flat surface.
- Fresh squids have a pinkish tint, but can be gray and purple. Foreign color on the carcass indicates that storage was committed.
- Release date and implementation period must be consistent.
- You should not buy a product if the carcass is a lump of indefinite shape. Consequently, the product has repeatedly been thawed and frozen. The ice is yellowish in color, the brownish color of the carcass with multiple tears and cracks will only confirm your suspicions.
- Expired shelf life, as well as blurry numbers on the packaging – a reason to postpone the purchase.
How to clean
Defrost before cleaning. Some housewives seek to accelerate this process and for this place the carcasses in hot water. From such a thermal effect, they really quickly unfreeze, but all the nutritional value of seafood “leaves” in hot water. Defrost squids, however, like any frozen product (meat, fish, offal) should be at room temperature. As soon as the mollusks become plastic, we proceed to cleaning. For this you need a cutting board and a sharp knife.
Press squid firmly against the cutting board with one hand, and carefully peel the skin (thin film) with the other. It happens that the film is difficult to clean. Then you need to put the squid in a colander and pour over boiling water. The film is simply washed off with water, and the one that remains is easily cleaned.
If a clam with a head and tentacles, they need to be cut off. You can throw your head away without regret, and the tentacles will come in handy for one very tasty snack – squid stuffed, but more on that later. Cut off the “wings” from the carcass and remove the skin from them. They can also be used as food. Now you need to clean the squid from the inside. There are transparent chitin plates similar to cellophane – they need to be carefully cut.
Heat treatment
Heat treatment is another difficulty that many housewives encounter when preparing squids. Once they are digested a little and the meat will become tough and tasteless. In addition, greatly reduced in size. So that the mollusk does not lose its taste and delight you with tender juiciness, it is boiled 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 the water with salt, bay leaf, allspice and bitter pepper, and after three minutes we lower the carcasses into it. Spices kill the specific smell of the inhabitant of the deep sea. Most often, clams serve as one of the ingredients in a variety of salads. If they are served as an independent dish in the form of a snack, then it is recommended to sprinkle with lemon juice and sprinkle with fresh herbs (rosemary, parsley, basil).
Stuffed squid
As already mentioned, tentacles, “wings” are eaten. They can stuff shellfish. Stuffed squids will be a great snack on a festive feast.
Cooking method:
- Peel and wash the mollusk, chop tentacles into small pieces, about 1×1 cm.
- Grind three cloves of garlic, add pepper, salt, herbs.
- Beat one egg yolk with a spoon of vegetable oil and mix with herbs and chopped tentacles.
- With this filling, we stuff the squid and slice them with toothpicks..
- Heat vegetable oil in a pan and fry the carcasses over high heat on both sides.
- Pour 100 g of white wine, add parsley, paprika and simmer under a closed lid until the squids are soft.
- Put the carcasses on a wide dish, pour the sauce in which they were stewed, sprinkle with lemon juice.
Learn more about how to cook squids so that they are soft.
Seafood salad
Squids for salads are cleaned the same as for other dishes. Sliced ”wings” are cut into strips and used in the recipe of your choice. To prevent carcasses from drying out, after cooking they are covered with a towel or plastic bag. Cool the seafood before chopping the seafood for the salad. Different temperatures of salad ingredients can lead to the development of pathogens, which will cause a quick spoilage of the product.
Can anyone share tips on efficiently cleaning frozen squid for cooking? I’d like to know the proper steps to ensure they’re cleaned thoroughly and quickly without compromising the texture or taste. Any advice or techniques would be greatly appreciated!
To efficiently clean frozen squid for cooking, start by thawing them in the refrigerator overnight. Once thawed, rinse them under cold water and remove the head, tentacles, and internal organs. Peel off the purplish skin and cut along the length of the tube to clean out the insides. Rinse again to remove any remaining debris. To preserve the texture and taste, avoid soaking the squid in water for too long. You can also lightly score the squid to help tenderize it. Alternatively, you can blanch the squid in boiling water for a few seconds before cleaning to make the process easier. Pat dry before cooking to prevent excess moisture. These steps will ensure your squid is thoroughly cleaned without compromising its delicious flavor or texture.