What can be cooked from squid: quick and tasty

My husband brought home a couple of frozen squid and said: "I want a salad!" I was left alone with these "monsters" and thought:

how to quickly peel squid frozen from the film,
how many minutes to cook defrosted and already peeled squid for salad.

The squid salad has already been prepared, and now I am happy to answer all your questions. I hope my experience is useful to you :)

Culinary instruction (step by step)

Defrosting.

If you need to defrost the squid quickly, then simply immerse the carcasses in cold (not hot) water and wait a couple of minutes. After that we take out all the pieces of ice, if there are any, wash the carcasses well, take out the chord (transparent "sticks" that you will find inside). Basically, the squid is ready to cook.

2. Cleaning from films

Squid skin is a thin film. I do not recommend taking it off while the squid is still raw. This is monkey labor. During cooking, the peel easily comes off by itself. After cooking, simply remove the squid meat from the water, let it cool slightly and rinse it under running water. Remaining skin particles come off easy and fast.

The second option: dip the thawed squid carcass in hot water for a few seconds. The film will shrink and bounce off easily.

After, like squid succeeded peel off the film, immediately start cooking. Pour 2 liters of water into a saucepan, bring to a boil, salt. Dip the squid carcass into boiling water, wait 1 minute until the water boils again. Cook after boiling for literally 1.5 - 2 minutes. Turn off the fire and leave the meat in hot water for another 1-2 minutes. We take out. Ready!

Thawed and peeled how much squid needs to be cooked: literally 1.5 - 2 minutes in boiling water, no more. Otherwise, the meat will become tough, like rubber. And we don't need it for the salad.

Squid and Cucumber Salad Recipe

Actually, for the sake of what all this was started: we prepared a salad with squid and fresh cucumber for dinner. Share the recipe 😉

Recipe number 1

Products:

2 squid carcasses (approximately 300 g),
1 pack of crab sticks,
1 fresh cucumber
4 chicken eggs
mayonnaise,
salt.

Preparation:

1. Defrost the squid, cook, remove the film, cut into strips or cubes.

2. Defrost crab sticks and cut into rings.

3. Three cucumber on a grater (but you can also cut into strips).

4. Eggs, too, three on a grater.

5. Lay the ingredients in layers in a deep salad bowl, smearing some layers with mayonnaise. The order of the layers does not matter. You can stack the ingredients in layers to your liking.

Recipe number 2

Another salad that we have not yet prepared, but would love to try. In the last recipe, I personally did not have enough piquancy, some sourness. And here the composition includes pickled cucumbers. They will add spice to the squid salad.

Products:

1 squid carcass (about 150 g),
1 pickled or pickled cucumber(about 150 g),
2 chicken eggs
1 medium onion
mayonnaise,
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

Cook eggs, clean,
Squid, if frozen - defrost, quickly peel off the film and cook for 1.5 - 2 minutes.
Cut the onion into thin half rings.
Squid meat, eggs, cucumber - we cut everything into strips.
Put all the ingredients in a bowl, salt, pepper and season with mayonnaise.
Stir and serve!

How do you prepare a salad with squid? Write in the comments 😉 Bon appetit!

Squid is a fairly popular seafood that can be used to cook many delicious dishes, but in order for it to turn out juicy, tasty and soft, it must be given the correct heat treatment, therefore, we will consider how to properly clean the squid from the film, as well as how and how long they need to be cooked until fully cooked, but at the same time so that they remain soft and not overcooked.

How to quickly and easily peel squid at home

Often, you can find fresh frozen squid on sale, from which many popular dishes are prepared at home (for example, sea salad with squid). In order for the cooked squid meat to be soft and tender, it is better to remove the film from it, which, if you do not know certain tricks, is not so easy to separate from the carcass. Let's consider how you can clean frozen squid carcasses from the film, giving them heat treatment and without it, as well as how to properly peel a whole squid, but before that, how many minutes to defrost squid.

How long does it take to defrost squid?

For many products, including squid, gradual defrosting is desirable, so if you intend to cook a squid dish, it is better to defrost the squid carcasses in advance by moving them from freezer in the regular compartment of the refrigerator for food or leaving in a plate with cold water at room temperature.

You can defrost squids in a faster way by placing them in the microwave in the defrosting mode, but if you do not have microwave oven, then defrosting squid must be taken care of in advance, using the advice presented above.

Important: you can not defrost squids by pouring them hot water or boiling water, so as not to spoil their useful and taste qualities.

Whole squid cleaning sequence

True connoisseurs of seafood will not hesitate to say that it is better to buy whole squid, and not ready-made cut carcasses, since in factories, during the cleaning process, whole squid is mechanically and heat treated, which is why some of its beneficial properties are lost, and processed meat will not work cook very tender and delicious. In many supermarkets, it is not always possible to find whole squids, but if you can find them, then pay attention to them, and not frozen and peeled shellfish.

Cleaning a whole squid can be divided into several stages, so let's take a closer look at them:

A whole squid carcass is taken (if it was frozen, it must be defrosted in advance).
With one hand we take the squid carcass (part without eyes and tentacles), and with the other hand we take the squid head behind the eyes and smoothly separate the head from the main carcass.
We clean (squeeze) the insides from the carcass, and also take out the chitinous plate.
We cut off the tentacles from the head (it is important not to cut off the small beak of the squid, which is quite sharp, along with them), which can also be used to prepare delicious dishes.
Under running water, gently prying with nails or a knife, will remove the skin (film) from the carcass.
We wash well the peeled squid fillet outside and inside.

If you bought frozen squid carcasses already peeled from the tentacles and head, then they will still need to be cleaned at home from the skin and film, as well as from possible remnants of the entrails. There are several ways to clean squid from the film: by treating them with boiling water and without heat treatment.

How to peel squid from film without heat treatment

According to many squid lovers, this method is the best, because during cleaning the squid is less heat treated (in contrast to the method when it is doused with boiling water for easier cleaning) and its meat remains more tender and soft after boiling.

The process of cleaning squid takes place in the following sequence:

The first step is to remove the skin from the carcass by prying it with a fingernail or knife, while it is easier to peel off if the squid has not been completely thawed.
Next, it is important to carefully remove the film from the squid fillet, which is also pryed off and torn off in parts from the carcass.
In conclusion, the squid meat is well washed under running cold water (outside and inside), carefully examining each carcass so that there are no small remnants of the film left on it. If there are any, it is better to remove them.

As you can see, peeling a squid carcass is not difficult and it only takes a few minutes in time. To clearly see how squids are cleaned, you can watch the video below:

How to peel squid from film by scalding it with boiling water

The fastest and in a simple way cleaning squid carcasses from the skin and film is scalding them with boiling water, after which the film is much easier to remove:

Prepare cold water and boiling water in advance.
We take out the chitinous plate inside from the squid.
In a separate container (a deep plate or saucepan), pour boiling water over the squid carcasses, and then immediately transfer them to a container with cold water. From the rapid temperature drop, the skin will flake off and peel off much easier.
Remove the film from the squid manually, after which we wash the peeled fillets under cold running water.

A more illustrative example of quick cleaning of squid using its heat treatment will be the video below:

How long does it take to cook squid so that they are soft and tasty?

Their softness depends on how and how much the squid is cooked. If you digest the squid fillet, it will turn out to be very tough and unpleasant to eat, so we will consider several of the most popular methods of cooking squid, in which it turns out to be soft and juicy.

How to cook frozen squid?

Ingredients: frozen squid - 2 pcs, water - 1 l, salt - 0.5 tsp, bay leaf - 1 pc, spices - optional.
Total cooking time: 11 minutes, cooking time: 1-1.5 minutes.
Calories: 122 calories (per 100 grams of product).
Cuisine: European. Type of dish: seafood. Servings: 2.

You can cook squids without defrosting (the main thing is that they have already been peeled before that). The sequence of cooking frozen squid carcasses is as follows:

Pour water into a saucepan to fit all the squid and bring to a boil.
Salt to taste, and, if desired, add spices and bay leaves.
Put the squid carcasses in boiling water and mark for 1-1.5 minutes, after which we set the pot aside from the heat and cover with a lid. In this state, we leave the squid to languish for 10 minutes.

Standard cooking squid (carcasses, squid rings) for salad and other dishes

A large saucepan is taken to hold all the squid that we will cook, water is poured and brought to a boil. The squids thawed and peeled from the film are placed in boiling water for 1-2 minutes (pre-salt the water and add spices to taste), after which the pan is removed from the heat, and the squids are left inside in boiling water so that they cool down with the water gradually. We are waiting for the squid to cool completely in the water.

How to quickly boil squid?

For use in many recipes, you can use the express cooking of squid, in which they practically do not decrease in size and remain soft and juicy:

Boil water in a saucepan and add salt and spices (bay leaf, black pepper, parsley, dill, etc.) to it.
After boiling water, add the peeled squid for 30-40 seconds, after which we immediately take them out of the boiling water.

We also watch a video on how to easily and quickly boil squid:

How to cook squid in a slow cooker?

Pour water into the multicooker.
We expose the "Cooking" mode.
Add spices and salt to your taste.
After boiling water, place whole squid carcasses inside the ring.
We cook them for 1.5-2 minutes, after which we turn off the multicooker, but we don't get the squids for 3-5 minutes so that they “reach”.

How to cook squid in a double boiler?

Pour water into the special section of the steamer.
We lay out the squid in one layer on a special wire rack in it.
Leave the squid under the steam for 6-8 minutes.

The golden rule of how long to cook squid

Squid should never be boiled for more than two minutes, ideally the boil time for squid is one and a half minutes (in the range of 1-2 minutes). If the squid is cooked for more than this time, then it will be tough, and the carcass itself will decrease in size.

If you nevertheless accidentally overcooked squid, then read below what to do in this case.

What if the squid is overcooked and tough?

Oddly enough, overcooked squid, so that they are not tough, must be additionally boiled well. We put them in boiling water and cook over low heat for 30-60 minutes. After such additional cooking, the squid will become soft, but at the same time it will greatly boil down (decrease in size) and lose its main beneficial features.

In conclusion to the article, it can be noted that tips on how to cook squid correctly so that they are soft, as well as how to quickly peel squid from the film before and after cooking, will definitely come in handy in every home, because you can cook many delicious dishes from this seafood. however, it boils and cooks very quickly. We leave our advice and feedback, how long (minutes) to cook the squid so that they are cooked and soft, in the comments to the article and share it in social networks if it was useful to you.

Seafood belongs to healthy and tasty products, of course, for cooking, it is better to buy them in fresh... But those who live far from their habitats and catching shellfish have to be content with frozen products, which affects the cleaning technology and the taste of the prepared dishes. But since you so want to diversify the diet of households with delicacies from valuable and tasty marine life, you do not have to choose.

Squid is an easy-to-prepare and frequently used product. If it is cleaned and boiled correctly, then the meat is tender, soft and tasty. Let's learn how to quickly and easily peel a squid from a film?

We remove the film correctly

However, the most the best option counts mechanical cleaning squid with your hands. After all, immersing them in boiling water, and then in ice, affects the taste of the finished dishes. Therefore, patiently and carefully do everything by hand, this procedure will take a little more time, but guests and households will be delighted with your culinary masterpieces.
There is another recipe for cleaning these seafood from film. The gutted carcasses are dipped into a container of water, brought to a boil, salt and a set of spices are added. After 2 minutes after boiling, they are quickly taken out, washed with cold water and the film is rubbed with your hands. The result is not only a refined product, but also a ready-to-eat product.

Depending on the availability of free time, you can use any method you like to remove the film from the squid. This will help you prepare healthy dietary meals, which are a source of many useful substances and at the same time maintain an extraordinary taste marine life.

There are many ways to prepare squid dishes. They are stewed, fried, baked, stuffed. Experienced housewives constantly pamper their households and guests with exquisite dishes from this sea creature. But many women do not know how to peel squid and do not prepare this product. In fact, the process is not as terrible as it might seem, and you can clean the carcass very quickly.

How to quickly peel squid?

How to peel squid, video

Most Russian housewives rarely manage to buy fresh squid in the store, as a rule, we bring them home frozen. If, nevertheless, you managed to find a fresh marine life, then first of all you need to rinse it and cut off its head, slashing it with a knife next to the squid's eyes. The insides are easily removed if, grabbing the chord, pull it towards you with one hand, while holding the body of the squid with the other.

The most difficult moment for housewives is how to quickly clean squid from films. This sea creature has a thin and thick layer of skin, which is long and difficult to remove without knowing tricky secrets. There are 2 ways to do this:

defrosting squid and dipping it in boiling water;
arrange a "contrast bath" of hot and cold water for a marine inhabitant.

From a sharp change in hot and cold temperatures, the skin separates itself from the carcass, and you just have to remove it completely.

How to quickly peel squid?

Since fresh squids are rarely found in our stores, we will learn how to quickly peel frozen ones. This is a finished carcass, from which you need to remove entrails and films.

Remove the squid from the freezer and leave to defrost completely.
Remove the insides.
Boil water in a saucepan and prepare a bowl of cold water.
Using a slotted spoon, immerse the squid in boiling water for a few seconds and immediately transfer to cold water.
Fresh squid can simply be doused with boiling water for the same effect.

After contrasting procedures, the skin on the squid carcass will burst and wrinkle. Now just pull the rags, and they will obediently slide off the carcass.

I learned a long time ago how to quickly and without hassle clean the squid from the film. And since then I have been using this "life hack" all the time. You can see for yourself how easily and almost instantly a burgundy-blue-purple gnarled mutant freak turns into a beautiful piece of pearl-white tender sea creature meat. Actually, these are these simple ways.

How to quickly and easily peel squid before cooking

Ideally, if the squid that got into your kitchen did not know all the "joys" of freezing, especially the repeated one. But, unfortunately, most of our compatriots do not have to rely on the purchase of the freshest seafood, until recently, carelessly floundering in the sea-ocean. Therefore, we will "work" with both frozen and chilled inhabitants of the deep sea.

So, given: a squid carcass. Task: quickly and easily get rid of the entrails and films. We go to achieve the result in several ways.

We cleanse squid from entrails

Immediately I want to please the chefs who were lucky enough to "snatch" a fresh mollusk carcass with its head and tentacles. The taste of the dish will be simply delicious, delicate and rich. But the process of cutting seafood is a little more laborious. Only "mantle" with "wings" and tentacles are eaten. The latter will need to be carefully separated from the "torso" and from the head (directly in front of the eyes). The heads are going to be thrown, don't forget.

At this stage, the differences in cutting fresh and frozen (which is usually "completed" only with a "mantle" with "wings") squid disappear. And the removal of entrails occurs in a similar way.

If the product is frozen, then it must be defrosted. Then place your hand inside the "mantle" and feel for the insides as well as the tough chord of the clam. For convenience, you can turn the carcass inside out. Grab them with your hand and pull them towards you. Take out the "contents" of the squid, and with a sense of accomplishment, you can proceed to remove the films.

The fastest way to remove film from frozen squid

Fresh frozen carcasses can be quickly removed from the films without even defrosting them. Just pour boiling water over them. Or dip in a pot of boiling water and remove. From a sudden change in temperature, the peel will shrink and turn into rags, which can be easily and simply removed when the shellfish is washed. At this stage, some housewives consider the duty to clean the squid from the film is complete. And with a clear conscience and good mood, they begin to remove entrails and prepare gastronomic masterpieces. However, most often the results of culinary creativity leave much to be desired. Seafood shrinks, loses shape and looks suspiciously like the soles of old rubber boots. After all, in addition to the color film, there is also a transparent one. It must be removed from both the outside and the inside. It can be removed quite easily, you just need to pry it off and carefully, millimeter by millimeter, remove it like a stocking. And now that's all for sure. Delicious and nutritious meals can be prepared.

Another way to remove film from frozen squid

The second option for cleaning squid from the film is also based on the principle of temperature difference. The only difference is that it is suitable for already thawed carcasses. To implement the idea of quickly getting rid of the nasty tough skin, which will definitely spoil the taste and aesthetic qualities of the product during cooking, you will need boiling water and ice water. What should be done? Defrost the carcass. Dip the thawed squid in boiling water and immediately transfer to ice. Or pour it over with ice cold tap water. Color film will behave in the same way as in the first case. That is, it will practically disappear itself. You only need to remove its remnants. Don't forget transparencies, too. Pry and pull it off in one motion. Or in several approaches.

By peeling the clams in this way, you can bake delicious stuffed squid in the oven.

How to clean fresh squid films

Of course, you can take the path of least resistance and clean the fresh shellfish using the above scheme. But if you want to get a brighter and richer taste in the end, then it is better to remove the films mechanically. That is, no boiling water or ice is needed. And patience, patience and more patience will be needed. Well, and, of course, sleight of hand. Just pry the colored skins along with the transparent ones and pull them off the carcass. It will be great if you can do it in one fell swoop. In principle, this is not so difficult to do. If you have ever taken a film of a liver, then you will understand what I mean. As for the tentacles, it is still better to douse them with boiling water - it will be much easier and faster.

Oh, and don't forget to blot the squid well with a paper towel before cooking.