Squid: how to clean and cook correctly?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Let's talk about squid. This is a wonderful tasty delicacy. It is rich in vitamins and proteins, minerals, trace elements. In addition, it has a low calorie content, but is very nutritious, which has made it popular with dieters. However, not all dishes with this ingredient are tasty. Why? Because not everyone knows how to cook them. Squids (how to clean and cook them - we will discuss them in detail later), if I may say so, are very demanding in terms of processing, and not every housewife, especially beginners, will cope with the task by thinking of treating her family with a tasty and he althy dish. However, this is not a reason to deny yourself the pleasure. We will share with you the main secrets.

Oh that squid…

Many people know how to clean and cook these representatives of the marine fauna. Theoretically … But as soon as it comes to practice, problems begin. Cooking gurus naturally have their secrets. We are not one of those, but, as they say, we will help in any way we can.

It is believed that these mollusks are difficultcook, but that's not the case. We want to debunk this myth. There is nothing complicated in technology, you just need to have certain information. In principle, it all comes down to one question: "How to cook and clean?" Squids are very picky. If you overexpose seafood in hot water, it will become rubbery, and the dish itself will become tasteless. And properly prepared, they are very tasty and nutritious.

So, let's start with the fact that we will understand: are squids first cleaned or boiled? How to do it right? In general, unpeeled ones are considered more useful and of higher quality. After all, in factories they are subjected to heat treatment, due to which they become more rigid. However, the inhabitants of the Mediterranean countries know a lot about their preparation. So, they advise doing this: first defrost the seafood to room temperature, and then dip it in boiling water for a couple of minutes (the skin should curl up), drain the unnecessary liquid and send the carcass now into cold water. Believe me, after these manipulations, the curled skin can be very easily removed. Then the insides are removed. And now our squid is almost ready. The hardest part is already done. This method, in our opinion, is the best, it allows you to keep the softness, juiciness and tenderness of the product.

Time matters

We have already figured out how to clean squid. How much to cook squid - remains to be seen. And this is how it is done. Peppers, s alt and, of course, bay leaves are put in the water. Next, you need to wait untilthe liquid will boil, then you need to lower the carcass into it for literally ten seconds and quickly remove it. So you need to do with each piece.

Difficult? Not at all. However, that's not all. It would seem, what else should the hostess do to prepare these seafood, except to clean and cook? Squids, especially cooked properly, are a delicious delicacy. But in order to feed relatives with it, and not with "rubber", it is advisable to practice. Here you need skill. Try at least a couple of times to cook the clam in the way that we described above. And it is not necessary to spoil the whole carcass, it is enough to cut off a couple of pieces. And remember: prolonged heat treatment (over 3 minutes) is contraindicated! It completely deprives the seafood of any taste, and there is no need to talk about nutrition. Tender meat turns into a piece of sole that cannot be chewed.

He's such a capricious squid. How to clean and cook these cephalopods, probably, is already clear. But, as they say, there is no limit to perfection, which means that we will continue to get acquainted with the tricks of culinary skills. So…

Another cooking method

There are actually many ways to cook squid. However, to be honest, they are not all good. We want to offer you another option worthy of your attention. We need to bring water to a boil with spices and s alt, and then put our clams there. Immediately remove the pot from the heat. And let them stand in boiling water for about ten minutes.

Speaking about what a wonderful squid product, how to clean and cook it correctly, it is impossible not to mention one more way to cook it - without the defrosting process. To do this, you just need to dip the carcass in boiling water for literally one minute, then turn off the fire and hold for another two or three minutes in the water.

Not only cook, but also fry

Squid is the universal product from which you can make a lot of delicious dishes. All of them are very diverse and not so difficult to prepare. And now you will see it.

So, you have a squid on your table. We figured out how to clean and boil it, now let's find out how to fry it properly.

You may be surprised, but before frying the clams should be boiled. To do this, use one of the above methods. Next, cut them into rings or in the form of straws. Dip each piece in a sauce of beaten eggs with s alt, sour cream and spices, roll in breadcrumbs and fry in vegetable oil, but not more than five minutes.

Squids baked in the oven or on the grill are wonderful. But for this cooking option, they must first be marinated for several hours. As a marinade, you can use lemon juice, garlic, pepper and paprika. Then the clams are placed on a grill and baked, pouring over the remaining liquid.

As a rule, inexperienced cooks are interested in how to properly clean squid: beforecooking or after? Of course, before, just pre-dousing them with boiling water. Knowing this simple secret, you can easily cope with the preparation of any clam dish.

Stuffed squid

First, the squids are cleaned, and then each carcass is beaten off. Then you need to half fill the carcass with minced meat. As a filling, you can take eggs with mushrooms, rice with vegetables, cheese and shrimp, apples and cottage cheese. The edges of the squid can be fastened with toothpicks, and then stew them in the oven in a small amount of liquid. A couple of minutes before they are ready, they can be sprinkled with cheese and sent back to the oven to form a tanned crust. When ready, the dish can be poured with wine, cream, sour cream, nut or tomato sauce.

Don't be surprised that in many recipes you will find an unusual combination of products. For example, squid with crab sticks and corn, with minced meat, sprats and bread, dried fruits and nuts.

In any national cuisine there are many secrets of cooking shellfish. But you should always remember one rule. Do not overload such dishes with spices. The main ingredient has the ability to actively absorb all the surrounding odors. Therefore, your culinary masterpiece may turn out to be too rich.

Cooked seafood itself is far from everything, you need to choose the right side dish for it. For example, vegetables, rice, pasta. Then decorate the finished dish with herbs and lemon, olives. Then the dish will generally turn out to be harmonious and unique.

How to choose when buying fresh squid?

To prepare a good dish, you must first purchase a sufficiently fresh product. Squid meat is usually sold frozen. Carcasses are sometimes even with tentacles. Any frozen product should not be frozen and thawed several times. Improper storage conditions can negate all taste qualities. Therefore, it is not surprising that an unpleasant smell of fish and a bitter taste appear. When cooking, such a mollusk spreads in the hands and foams heavily when cooked. A dish from such a squid will not turn out tasty, and it’s not your fault, and it’s not about the recipe. Therefore, carefully inspect the product when you choose it in the supermarket.

The carcass of the mollusk should have a dense texture. The top film you'll be removing is a brownish-pink hue, while the meat inside is white.

Never buy shelled carcasses. Of course it's convenient. But it is the squid film that is the part by which you can definitely determine its freshness. How? Yes, very simple. Look: if the skin has a yellowish color, and the meat inside is not white, then it is better not to buy such a product. It must have been in the window for a long time.

A little trick

Imagine a situation when you still accidentally overcooked squid, and the meat became tough. Dont be upset. Not everything is so bad. Do not immediately throw away the product. There is a little trick that will make the carcass softer. For this squid, you need to boil for about an hour. Yes yes exactly! Of course, the mollusk will greatly decrease in size and lose almost all of its beneficial properties, but you will improve the situation. Yes, and gain your own experience in cooking these inhabitants of the deep sea.

What delicious can you cook with squid?

Most often, squid meat is used to make salads, but they can also be served as an independent dish.

Of course, seafood salads are not prepared in large quantities. This is a delicious and nutritious product with a specific taste, because the main ingredient is the squid itself. He must prevail. The remaining components should be put much less.

Squid salad recipe with rice

How to cook and clean squid for salad, we have already figured it out. Let's now look at a few recipes.

For cooking, take:

1. Rice – 100g
2. Eggs - 3 pcs
3. Squids (their fillets are better) - 250 g.
4. Green peas (canned) - ½ can.
5. Dill greens - one bunch.
6. S alt and pepper to your taste.
7. Sour cream with mayonnaise.

For cooking, boil the rice. We clean the squid and boil it in one of the above ways. Then we cut them in the form of rings. Cut boiled eggs and mix with squid and peas. Mix sour cream with mayonnaise for dressing, add s alt and pepper, and chopped greens. All ingredientsmix with sauce. Now the salad is ready.

Squid with potatoes and onions

Take the following set of products:

1. Potato - 0.5 kg.
2. Squid (fillet) - 0.4-0.5 kg.
3. Vegetable oil.
4. Onion - 100 g.
5. Green onion.
6. Ground pepper.
7. Table vinegar.

To prepare a salad, boiled squid carcasses must be cut into strips. Boil potatoes in their skins, cool, then peel and cut into cubes. Onion cut into rings. Gently combine all the ingredients, adding ground pepper. You can also sprinkle a little vinegar. The salad itself is seasoned with vegetable oil.

Instead of afterword

As you can see, seafood recipes are not complicated at all. The main thing is to properly pre-clean and cook the clams. And further preparation will not be difficult. Use our tips and you will be pleasantly surprised by the result. Bon appetit!