What can be cooked from squid: quick and tasty

In this article, we will look at the main ways to clean squid from film. If you're ready to learn something new about cooking, we're here!

Filming squid: simple and fast

Ideally, your squid should be fresh. But if you live far from the places where it is caught, then you will have to use frozen, which will slightly complicate the process and affect the taste of the product. But you don't have to choose, but you want to serve the clam on the table. Let's learn how easy it is to peel calamari from the film!

If the hostess managed by hook or by crook to get a fresh future decoration of the festive table, then the cutting process becomes a little more complicated. Only mantles, wings and tentacles are suitable for food, so your seafood must be guillotined, cut off its head immediately behind the eyes.

Then you need to get rid of the body's natural filler - the viscera. They, too, are not particularly suitable for food. To do this, stick your hand inside the squid and, grasping its chord, turn it inside out, like a T-shirt. So it will be much easier for you to remove everything unnecessary from it.

Fresh-frozen squid is sold without a head, so the process of cutting the carcass is accelerated, you don't have to cut off anything extra, just peel it from the inside. This is followed by the transition to removing the films, which seems time consuming. The process is not really that difficult.

Removing the film

How to remove the film from squid? Simply and easily! Dip it in a container of boiling water for a few seconds or scald it with boiling water. From a sharp temperature drop, the film shrinks and turns into rags, which, when washed, leave on their own. This method is suitable for fresh or frozen squid.

Not sure how to remove the film from frozen squid? Here, too, the temperature difference is used. To begin with, the mollusk must be thawed, then dipped in boiling water, quickly pulled out and poured over with ice water (or put on ice). The surface color film, as in the first case, will shrink and will not give you any more trouble.

The transparent film, which should not be forgotten either, must be carefully pry off with the tip of a knife and pulled off. Otherwise, the taste will be hopelessly spoiled, and picking out pieces of an incomprehensible substance from the interdental space, you must admit, is not the most fun activity.

But the best option of how to clear the squid from the film, of course, mechanical. Still, immersion in boiling water or in ice negatively affects the taste of the finished dish, so just be patient and carefully and gently remove everything by hand. It will take more time, but your household and guests will not say that you tried to poison them with an unknown and horrible-tasting dish from some alien beast.

Features of squid

As a biological species, squid appeared about 200 million years ago, in the Triassic period. The method of their movement is not found in any other living organism on the planet. These mollusks have a built-in "engine" that works according to the principle Sucking water into itself, it releases it with force through a kind of "nozzle", which gives it a speed of up to 30 km / h. The largest specimens are up to 17 meters long and weigh up to 280 kg. A developed nervous system, some semblance of intelligence, a whole arsenal for attack and defense put it on an order of magnitude higher than invertebrates. This is how they were able to survive to this day.

Squids prefer salty water, at least 33%, so you will not find this monster in the "slightly salted" seas (such as the Baltic). Due to the admixture of copper, the blood of squid is blue, but crayfish and scorpions can also boast of this. But three hearts - only these have such a Well, and the "ink bag" is also exclusively their evolutionary invention. Not only does the discarded ink retain the shape of a squid, but the fish attacking this “cloud” becomes blind and loses its sense of smell due to the paralyzing properties of this liquid. And while the fish is trying to understand what is happening to it, the squid quickly changes color and reels away.

Squid Dishes

You have already learned how to quickly peel squid from the film, now let's get acquainted with some dishes from these ancient monsters, for example, Chinese squid.

You will need: a kilogram of squid, a couple of onions, 4 cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp. l. soy sauce, 2 tsp. sugar, herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Dip the peeled squid for 2 minutes in boiling water, then put it in a colander. Fry the onion cut into half rings until golden brown in a frying pan, then add squid chopped into strips or rings and fry for a minute. Add sugar, salt, pepper, sauce, mix quickly and fry over high heat for another two minutes. Turn off the fire, squeeze out the garlic, mix it again, put it in a bowl for salad, decorate with herbs and serve.

Squids with vegetables are no less tasty. Now you know how to clean the squid from the film, so let's move on to the process itself. For 600 g of clam pulp, take two large carrots, two onions, pepper (preferably a mixture), 1 tsp. salt, 3 tbsp. l. unrefined vegetable oil and spices to taste.

We cut squids into rings, onions - coarsely, three carrots on a coarse grater. We put everything in a suitable container and add the rest. Mix the mass and leave for 20 minutes to soak the dish. Then we put the result in dry clean jars, tighten the neck with foil and put it in an oven heated to 220 degrees for 1.5 hours. Serve hot or cold.

Cleaning method No. 3

Just in case, here's another method for quickly removing the film from the squid. We lower the gutted squid into a saucepan and start heating. As soon as the water gets hot, add salt, and after one and a half minutes after boiling, quickly drain and wipe the film with your hands under running cold water. Thus, you will get a squid not only peeled, but already cooked.

So, now you know how to remove the film from the squid. You can choose any method, depending on whether you have time and how important it is to you to preserve the taste of this unique marine life.

Summarize

So we figured out how to clean the squid from the film, photos of the processes were presented to you in the article. Cook for health!

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 a monkey's work. 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!

Squids are useful and delicious seafood, with which you can diversify the daily family diet. Some housewives do not like to cook these clams, thinking that they are difficult to clean. It's a delusion. Squids are easy to clean if you know little secrets their processing.

If you bought a fresh, whole squid, put it in a bowl and locate where the head is. Tentacles are located on it. Holding the body of the squid with one hand, pull the head towards you with the other. It will separate along with the entrails. Turn your head with tentacles towards you, find and remove the beak. Then remove the eyes. To do this, cut the tentacles in half, or simply squeeze the eyes outward. Remove films from the carcass. In fresh squid, it comes off easily in one go. Remove the tough chitinous plate that is inside the body. Rinse the cleaned carcass well with cold water. More often it is necessary to butcher frozen squid. So that cleaning them does not take much time, choose the right product in the store. Frozen shellfish carcasses should be easily separated from each other. If they stick together, then the squid has already been thawed. When cut, they will creep, and after cooking, they will taste bitter. The size and color of a squid depends on its habitat and age. The body of an unrefined mollusk is covered with a film on the outside and inside. It can have colors ranging from pink to burgundy and purple. There is meat under the film white... After re-freezing, the meat turns gray and loses its taste. Small squids are easier to peel than large ones and are softer after cooking. Often gutted frozen carcasses are sold in stores. This makes them easier to clean. Remove the cartilage from the cut squid. Then remove the film from the carcass. If this is not done, during heat treatment, they will become tough, and the carcass itself will shrink. There are several ways to clean the film. Without defrosting the squid, put them in a bowl, scald them with boiling water, and then immediately transfer them to a bowl of ice. The skin will come off in a stocking. You do not need to put the squid in ice, but simply pour boiling water over them and immediately drain the water. The film instantly rolls up and peels off easily. To remove the skin from a thawed carcass, place it in a saucepan of boiling salted water and cook for 2 minutes. The film partially remains in the water, and the remaining film is easily removed by rinsing the carcass in cold water. After that, the squid is ready to eat. Its meat is soft and tender.

Peeled squid can be baked, boiled, fried, marinated, dried, smoked, and made into minced meat. Do not deny yourself and your loved ones the pleasure of eating delicious dishes from this valuable seafood.

Amazing seafood, rich in protein, with a delicate taste, infrequent guests on the table. This is because there is a widespread belief that it is difficult to prepare them for cooking. In fact, the options are , how to peel squid easily , enough. Having mastered them, you can more often indulge yourself with a tasty and healthy product.

Purchase requirements

If the priority is the ease of cleaning squid, then you need a freshly caught one. It is easier to clean it - took off the film, like a stocking, and you're done. Only now it is sold more often frozen. Therefore, before cleaning, it is wisely chosen for purchase. If the squid has been frozen, thawed and frozen again, then it is better not to take it, since there will be problems with cleaning. Therefore, when choosing a product, the main thing is to analyze the following:

Mediterranean people believe that unpeeled squid is more beneficial. Then why is it necessary to peel the squid from the film? By freeing them from the transparent and colored skins, they preserve the volume of the carcasses, because otherwise, during cooking, they will significantly decrease, moreover, they will become tougher. Many aspiring chefs doubt that cleaning squid is easy. However, there are several effective tricks that can save you time and make the process easier.

Cold welcome cleaning

This method is good for fresh or properly frozen squid.

We take the headless carcass in our hands, pry it off with a fingernail and begin to gently clean it from the thin skin, pulling it together like a stocking.
After removing the film, we will then cleanse the viscera and the chord (spine).

to remove the chord plates, turn the seafood inside out and manually remove all hard parts from the surface.

Hot method

If there is a suspicion that the product has been re-frozen, then a short-term thermal effect should be applied:

First, you need to naturally defrost the mollusc at room temperature.
After that, take the squid by the body with one hand, by the head with the other, then pull, removing the head and entrails at the same time.

If the tentacles aren't cooked, they won't have to be cleaned. They are cut almost at the level of the clam's eyes. If they are planned to be boiled, then the beak located among them, which cannot be eaten, must be removed. After removal, it is important to check if any hard debris remains.

A chitinous spine is cut out, resembling transparent plastic.

The carcasses prepared for removal of films are thoroughly washed with running water. After washing, remove excess moisture with paper towels.

Boiling water is poured into the container. Piece by piece, squid is laid in it for 2 minutes. This is enough time to separate the skin so as not to cook the meat. Boiling water instantly curls up a thin film, making it easy to clean.

The carcass is taken out of the boiling water and placed under a stream of cold water, removing pieces of the broken film outside and inside.

squid is put to defrost from freezer on the shelf of the refrigerator, later taken out of there and placed in a bowl with cold water. Do not fill with warm, much less hot liquid. It is not advisable to defrost in the microwave. It is better to get the squid for thawing before peeling.

Cleaning with a contrast shower

Quick option: how to peel frozen seafood.

You will need 2 deep pans. In one - very cold water, in the other - prepared gutted carcasses.
The squid is poured with ready-made boiling water and immediately transferred to ice water. Then definitely the most tender meat will not be cooked. The skins will flake off on their own, and the rest will be easy to clean.

it is better to remove the skin by following from the wide part to the narrow one using the back of the knife.

Mini-boil cleansing

This method is suitable if frozen food was brought into the house already thawed in hot summer weather. Then water is boiled in a saucepan with the addition of spices, salt, bay leaves, etc. The mollusk is cut lengthwise to extract what is not suitable for food. Its meat is washed under running water. The squids are immersed in boiling water and boiled for no more than 3 minutes, then quickly pulled out. The film usually peels off by itself and remains in the water.

Tip: if, under the influence of boiling water, the skin bursts, forming balls, then a soft kitchen brush will help out. By wiping the surface of the squid with it, you can quickly free them from the remnants of the skin and get a peeled fillet.

How to peel boiled seafood

Some novice chefs are in doubt: what to do first - boil or peel? Sometimes without cleaning, you can do this:

Rinse with running water before cooking.
Boil seafood and refrigerate.
Remove, like a stocking, the peeling peel.

unpeeled squid is boiled only whole. It is commonly used for salad dressings.

At the culinary forum, one of the hostesses shared her experience. “I originally cooked squid , and then cleaned. Did not like. Now I clean them before I cook them. I just pry off the skin with a knife, put my fingers under it and tighten it. "

How to clean squid properly? It is worth choosing for yourself the best of the proposed methods. Then a dietary and exotic dish will become an honorable attribute of a feast.

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

If you want to buy a "not troublesome" product - buy peeled squids. But if you want tasty and healthy seafood, choose only unpeeled carcasses.

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

The Patagonian squid is also highly valued. 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 gray), pink, blue, 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 (backbone).
Smell: fresh fish. Mild 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 peel the squid before cooking?

The answer is yes. During cooking, the unpeeled skins can add bitterness to the squid meat.

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

How to clean fresh / chilled squid:

Place the squid on a work surface.

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

Inside the mantle, feel for the chitinous chord and remove it.

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

Rinse, if necessary divide into portions.

Cut off the clam tentacles and fold them separately. Remove the squid beak between the tentacles. Pour boiling water over the tentacles and transfer to ice water. Rinse by rubbing thoroughly with your fingers to remove thin skin.

How to clean defrosted squid:

Important: frozen squid should be thawed by placing them in cold water.

Pour boiling water over the carcasses of slightly melted squid. Leave it on for 30-60 seconds.
Remove the squid from the boiling water and place in ice water. From a sharp temperature drop, the skin peels off by itself.

Rinse the squid under running water, rinsing off any remaining skin.

Correctly and quickly peeling a squid carcass?

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

Correctly and quickly clean the tentacles of a squid?

See the previous part of the review.

How to properly clean frozen squid from film?

The above test is the most common way to clean frozen squid.

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

How to clean squid after boiling?

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

How to store peeled squid?

Squids are perishable foods.

Peeled raw squids can be stored in the refrigerator at temperatures from 0 to + 4 ° C for about 48 hours.

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

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

Squids are boiled one or two carcasses to prevent digestion of seafood.
Spices and seasonings used in the preparation of squid: salt, peppercorns, dill. You can also add basil or parsley if desired.
Pour 1.5-2 liters of water into a saucepan, add spices and salt, bring to a boil.
Place the peeled squid carcasses in boiling water. Cooking time: 2 min.
Remove the seafood from the water and lay in the next batch. Refrigerate ready-made seafood immediately.

Important: If you are cooking a lot of shellfish, add water, salt and spices from time to time.

An interesting way to clean and cook squid is offered by the chef Ilya Lazerson. Detailed master class can be seen in the video at the end of the article.