preparing squid - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

lamb · 06-30-2010, 10:24 PM

I guess the old gang in the Mediterranean missed out on all these "how to" videos back in the day...

My mother in law taught me how to clean the lil' squid, and she ain't doing all the fancy stuff like the chef in this video.

I cut about 1 inch slice on their belly side closer to the tip - that's where their guts are. Press from the center up and squeeze that crap out. If the eggs are there, leave 'em! Leave the ink in there too! I don't agree with this chef saying that leaving the ink doesn't change the taste. He must have never prepared a real fresh caught squid with an ink sack - commercially harvested squid, frozen and packed, generally doesn't have much ink left in 'em. Leaving the ink does change the taste big time - it gives it that bitter yummy flavor unlike anything else I ate from the sea.

If grilled whole, I don't bother pulling the quill out. It can easily be taken out when served, it nicely sticks out as they shrink a bit. I don't take the beak out neither - just give your guests heads up to watch out for it and not eat it.

Eyes are fine too, just ignorer them, don't make eye contact.

I don't scrape the skin, neither I scrape the suckers... C'mon, cleaning them is a big enough of a pain without all that. Separating the fins?!? c'mon...

With all that said - I'm with Yani, put some salt and toss 'em whole on a grill, 1 min or so per side. There's a fine line - don't over cook, they'll be chewy! When done, put some quality olive oil + thin sliced garlic & parsley + some lemon core & pepper over them...

They are also great fried - put some salt on the squid. Put about 1/4" of oil, mix of 1/2 olive 1/2 canola oil in the pot. Keep the lid handy, you'll need it as it'll get your kitchen messy. Put the squid in the cold oil (helps minimize the spraying mess) and put it on a medium heat. As it starts frying, reduce the heat. Fry for about 10-12 mins all together, turning them. When almost done, add some water and cook for a few more minutes - that will create pretty good sauce, of very delicate taste, reddish in color if you didn't have much ink left in your squirts, black otherwise.... Delicious!

06-30-2010, 10:24 PM	#12
lamb Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 2,563	I guess the old gang in the Mediterranean missed out on all these "how to" videos back in the day... My mother in law taught me how to clean the lil' squid, and she ain't doing all the fancy stuff like the chef in this video. I cut about 1 inch slice on their belly side closer to the tip - that's where their guts are. Press from the center up and squeeze that crap out. If the eggs are there, leave 'em! Leave the ink in there too! I don't agree with this chef saying that leaving the ink doesn't change the taste. He must have never prepared a real fresh caught squid with an ink sack - commercially harvested squid, frozen and packed, generally doesn't have much ink left in 'em. Leaving the ink does change the taste big time - it gives it that bitter yummy flavor unlike anything else I ate from the sea. If grilled whole, I don't bother pulling the quill out. It can easily be taken out when served, it nicely sticks out as they shrink a bit. I don't take the beak out neither - just give your guests heads up to watch out for it and not eat it. Eyes are fine too, just ignorer them, don't make eye contact. I don't scrape the skin, neither I scrape the suckers... C'mon, cleaning them is a big enough of a pain without all that. Separating the fins?!? c'mon... With all that said - I'm with Yani, put some salt and toss 'em whole on a grill, 1 min or so per side. There's a fine line - don't over cook, they'll be chewy! When done, put some quality olive oil + thin sliced garlic & parsley + some lemon core & pepper over them... They are also great fried - put some salt on the squid. Put about 1/4" of oil, mix of 1/2 olive 1/2 canola oil in the pot. Keep the lid handy, you'll need it as it'll get your kitchen messy. Put the squid in the cold oil (helps minimize the spraying mess) and put it on a medium heat. As it starts frying, reduce the heat. Fry for about 10-12 mins all together, turning them. When almost done, add some water and cook for a few more minutes - that will create pretty good sauce, of very delicate taste, reddish in color if you didn't have much ink left in your squirts, black otherwise.... Delicious! __________________ [------------------------ <)))< ....b-a-a-a-a