Mountain Cat
Veteran
- Joined
- 12 Apr 2019
- Local time
- 3:32 PM
- Messages
- 3,118
- Location
- Hilltowns of Massachusetts
- Website
- goatsandgreens.wordpress.com
The squid I purchased for the previous stuffed squid recipe was already partially cleaned. (The ink sac had been removed, as well as some of the cartilage; and the purple-ish "skin" on the outside of the tube portion of the squid had been peeled off - which is totally unnecessary but some folk like the tube to look pretty and white).
If you have to clean them from start yourself, do reserve the ink for another dish. These ones came cleaned, with most of the cartilage removed, but with the heads and tentacles still attached to the body. Gently pull the head and tentacles from the body, and save the tentacles. The inner bits of the head — almost tentacle-like in themselves — can also be eaten, but look for cartilage. (This cartilage is reminiscent of clear plastic, and is too hard to be cooked and eaten.)
If you pull the head and tentacles out of the squid body, this is what you will see. Actually whiter than the photograph shows…
If yours still has a skin layer on — it will be squid-purple in sections – this is edible and I leave it on. There’s no taste change. But some folks like their calamari totally white, it’s just a matter of visual preference. The "unnamed edible parts" are what is inside the tube/body of the squid.
Mine were already pretty much cleaned up — but if you have to clean them yourself, do reserve the ink for another dish. Gently pull the head and tentacles from the body, and save the tentacles. The inner bits of the head — almost tentacle-like in themselves — can also be eaten, but look for cartilage. (This cartilage is reminiscent of clear plastic.) When removing the innards, try your best not to rupture the ink sac. The ink is definitely black, and it is good to reserve it as mentioned above - it is good combined with, for instance, rice, both for color and a mild flavor of the ocean. At any rate, if you can't help but rupture the sac, it is easily rinsed off the squid should it not fit the purpose of your dish.
Above are two squid tubes / bodies. Sometimes when you do find just the tubes such as in the photo, there will be a clear piece of thin "plastic" down inside - remove and discard!
I seriously wish I could find whole squid these days. It would take a trip to Rhode Island or to lower Connecticut (or perhaps to the Massachusetts shore). I'd have a better tutorial for you, and I could also BUY more squid for stuffing purposes! Due to COVID at the moment, those first two states are ruled out, and due to traffic hellishness near the Massachusetts shore, I wouldn't be doing that anyway.
But, I WILL answer questions!
If you have to clean them from start yourself, do reserve the ink for another dish. These ones came cleaned, with most of the cartilage removed, but with the heads and tentacles still attached to the body. Gently pull the head and tentacles from the body, and save the tentacles. The inner bits of the head — almost tentacle-like in themselves — can also be eaten, but look for cartilage. (This cartilage is reminiscent of clear plastic, and is too hard to be cooked and eaten.)
If you pull the head and tentacles out of the squid body, this is what you will see. Actually whiter than the photograph shows…
If yours still has a skin layer on — it will be squid-purple in sections – this is edible and I leave it on. There’s no taste change. But some folks like their calamari totally white, it’s just a matter of visual preference. The "unnamed edible parts" are what is inside the tube/body of the squid.
Mine were already pretty much cleaned up — but if you have to clean them yourself, do reserve the ink for another dish. Gently pull the head and tentacles from the body, and save the tentacles. The inner bits of the head — almost tentacle-like in themselves — can also be eaten, but look for cartilage. (This cartilage is reminiscent of clear plastic.) When removing the innards, try your best not to rupture the ink sac. The ink is definitely black, and it is good to reserve it as mentioned above - it is good combined with, for instance, rice, both for color and a mild flavor of the ocean. At any rate, if you can't help but rupture the sac, it is easily rinsed off the squid should it not fit the purpose of your dish.
Above are two squid tubes / bodies. Sometimes when you do find just the tubes such as in the photo, there will be a clear piece of thin "plastic" down inside - remove and discard!
I seriously wish I could find whole squid these days. It would take a trip to Rhode Island or to lower Connecticut (or perhaps to the Massachusetts shore). I'd have a better tutorial for you, and I could also BUY more squid for stuffing purposes! Due to COVID at the moment, those first two states are ruled out, and due to traffic hellishness near the Massachusetts shore, I wouldn't be doing that anyway.
But, I WILL answer questions!
