How to properly and quickly clean squid from film at home: step-by-step instructions (video)

What you need to pay attention to when buying frozen squid meat - Freezing and storage conditions - Color and size of the carcass - Smell - Catch time and expiration date

How to properly defrost squid meat How to clean defrosted squid meat at home: two methods - Cold (stocking) method - Hot method

How to peel boiled squid from film

How to clean fresh squid

The fastest way to clean squid (if time is short)

How to cook squid correctly

Squid meat is dietary and contains many microelements beneficial to the human body. To prevent the meat of these mollusks from turning into “rubber,” it must be properly prepared. We will tell you how to properly clean the meat of fresh and frozen squid from the film and then cook it so that it does not lose its taste and beneficial properties.

KBJU squid (and other seafood)

The content of substances is indicated as a percentage of weight, and calorie content in kcal/100 grams.

What to look for when buying frozen squid meat

The main stage on which all subsequent ones depend is the choice of squid meat. In order not to make a mistake and not spoil your dinner, it is important to pay attention to the following factors:

• Freezing and storage conditions

If squid meat stored in industrial packaging is tightly stuck together and frozen to each other, then you should not buy it. Ice and dark spots on the surface of the skin indicate that the carcasses are of poor quality. This means they have been frozen more than once.

• Carcass color and size

Choose smaller carcasses. The meat of young animals is tastier. Pay attention to how the squid's skin and tentacles look. They should be white or cream in color. Pink, yellow and lilac indicate that the product has been re-frozen, which means the meat will be tough and tasteless.

• Smell

Fresh squid meat smells good. It does not emit a strong ammonia or rotten smell. If the meat exudes a stench, then you cannot buy such products.

• Catch time and expiration date

Frozen shellfish can be stored for no more than 2 years; it is better to choose squid caught in July or August.

How to properly defrost squid meat

There are two gentle methods for defrosting the carcasses of this seafood:

1. Transfer the meat from the freezer to the refrigerator compartment and wait until completely thawed. There is no need to place a bag of frozen food in a container of water.
2. Leave the squid meat on an open surface at room temperature. This way the shellfish will retain their beneficial nutritional qualities and delicate taste.

Important! Do not defrost squid meat in the microwave, steam, hot water or using heating appliances.

How to cook squid correctly

A tasty and healthy delicacy, rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and microelements, was served back in Ancient Greece, calling this mollusk winged fish. Low calorie content (86 calories per 100 g), high nutritional value and the ability to have a beneficial effect on the body have turned squid into a popular dish for those who want to lose weight and get healthier. How to cook squid deliciously so that it decorates the holiday table? There are many ways and recipes for preparing this seafood, but they are all based on some general points that every housewife should know about. Many people are sure that cooking squid is very difficult, but this is an erroneous opinion, which you will have to debunk in practice.

How to clean thawed squid meat at home: two methods

Cold (stocking) method

According to the rules of the cold cleaning method, you need to sharply pull the film off the thawed squid carcass or, conversely, slowly pull off the film. For everything to go perfectly, you need to carefully pry the skin with your fingernail or something sharp. Afterwards, you can remove the mollusk's entrails, solid particles and chord. The final pre-processing step is to turn the squid inside out.

Hot method

Before hot cleaning squid, remove the chitinous spine, internal elements, head, hard beak and, if necessary, tentacles. The hot method is suitable if you have already defrosted and frozen seafood several times. So, first rinse the carcasses in a colander, then put them in boiling water for 5-10 seconds and then dip them in cold water. As soon as the film wrinkles, remove it.

Hot method

Since many people believe that cleaning squid is quite a troublesome task, they prefer not to buy this type of seafood. Although - completely in vain. After all, you can process them from the skin very quickly. To do this, it is enough to use the hot method at home.

Here's how you can use it to quickly remove film from seafood:

1. Properly thawed carcasses must be placed in a deep bowl.
2. Boil water separately.
3. When it boils, pour it onto the carcasses. Don't worry about cooking squid this way. Because they are cold, they easily cool boiling water.
4. Then you need to drain the water. Take one carcass and see how intensely the skin curls. The fact is that squid contains a lot of protein, which, under the influence of high temperatures, begins to coagulate at lightning speed. So the skin just starts to roll off.
5. If running your finger over the carcass does not clear the film, you must repeat pouring boiling water.
6. After this, cleaning simply involves lightly scraping off the remnants of this film with a knife.
7. This way you can easily and quickly bring unpeeled squid to the desired condition before further cooking.
8. Further scraping of the viscera and notochord is performed as described in the cold method. It depends on whether the carcass will be cut up later for boiling or baking.

How to peel boiled squid from film

If you boiled squid carcasses in film, then let the meat cool. Once they are lukewarm, run over them with a soft kitchen brush under running water. When rubbed, the transparent film rolls and peels off. This method is used exclusively in cases where the squid is then cooked in spicy or salty marinades.

Minus: squid meat may lose its pleasant taste and juiciness.

Important! You can only cook defrosted and gutted squid, in which the tentacles and head have been previously separated, and the entrails and chord plate have been removed from the body.

How to clean fresh squid

If you bought fresh squid meat, then before removing the film from it, you need to remove the head and insides of the mollusk from the so-called hood.

Take the squid with both hands - one by the base of the head, the other by the body itself (hood), and then with a sharp, but too strong movement, remove it from the hood. Afterwards, separate the heads from the tentacles, remove the entrails and chitinous rod from the body. Rinse the edible parts under running water and proceed to the cold method of removing the film.

The fastest way to clean squid (if time is short)

If guests are already on the way and you need to quickly figure something out, then a salad with squid or other dishes with this shellfish are ideal. First of all, because it cooks quickly, and food with it always looks unusual.

So, if time is short, then you don’t even have to defrost the squid meat. Simply place the carcasses in a bowl, add boiling water and leave to cool for 2 minutes. Then place the meat under running cold water. The skin will wrinkle and it will not be difficult to remove it.

The next stage is gutting. There is no way to do this without removing the entrails and chord.

Cleaning boiled

Practice shows that cleaning pre-boiled shellfish is faster and better. Many housewives note that you need to tinker with raw carcasses, and the most difficult thing is to pick up the edge of the skin. Experienced chefs recommend buying unpeeled carcasses, since unpeeled ones may have different taste qualities and it is not known how the cleaning was carried out. Some shellfish are additionally specially processed. It is better to carry out all stages of cooking yourself.

They choose a quality product based on appearance. The tubes should be smooth, without suspicious spots with elastic pulp. If there are yellowish or dark spots on the surface, you should not buy such squid. If the carcasses have been defrosted several times, the workpieces will be loose and shapeless. The taste and nutritional value of such a product are much reduced.

You need to defrost shellfish in the refrigerator or, if you want to quickly, at room temperature. Be sure to place the product in a deep bowl so that when melting, streaks do not form on the table and floor. Never defrost tubes under water. All nutrients will be washed away along with the liquid.

How to process squid after boiling. Depending on the cooking recipe you choose, you can simplify the method of removing the outer skin. Boiled squid make the cleaning process much easier. Thawed clams are washed, internal cartilage and entrails are removed and sent to boil in boiling, salted water for 2 minutes. Then drain the boiling water and cool the carcasses in cold water. The skin washes off on its own without any problems. And you can start cutting the product into a salad and simmering it in a frying pan.

If the recipe calls for whole carcasses, then pour boiling water over the raw shellfish, place in a colander and carefully remove the skin. Next, the pieces can be stuffed, grilled, or baked in the oven with sour cream.

How to cook squid correctly

In order for the meat to be soft and tasty, to retain its structure, pleasant taste and aroma, you need to boil it properly.

Basic methods of cooking squid:

1. Add bay leaf, salt, pepper and other spices to taste to boiling water. Then place the cleaned squid meat in the pan for 10 seconds. After the time has passed, remove the clam and leave to cool at room temperature. Place the squid meat in boiling salted water and immediately remove the pan from the stove. Leave the meat in boiling water for 10-12 minutes. When the time is up, take it out. The main thing is not to overdo it.

2. Frozen carcasses can be boiled without defrosting. To do this, they must be placed in boiling water and left there for 1-2 minutes. After turning off the heat, leave the meat to simmer for 3-4 minutes. Then take it out.

Important! If squid meat is overcooked, it becomes tasteless and tough. Therefore, you should always strictly adhere to the cooking time.

Cleaning frozen

Typically, carcasses are sold frozen and already cleaned. If you received unprocessed carcasses, we recommend using a detailed step-by-step description of how to clean squid:

• At the first stage, it is necessary to completely defrost the winged fish. Do not leave workpieces under running hot water or scald them with boiling water. Remove the carcasses from the freezer, place in a deep bowl to catch any draining water, and place in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf. The process will take 2-4 hours. You can put the carcasses overnight;
• To completely defrost, keep the squid at room temperature for about 1 hour;
• On the outside, the mollusks are covered with a thin skin that needs to be removed. There are two ways to remove the skin: cold and hot. Important: the work requires care so as not to damage the delicate pulp;
• Thawed and cleaned carcasses are ready for further processing according to the recipe you like. Cut up the body and cook. More detailed instructions can be seen in the video on the website.

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Cold way

Chefs most often use the cold method of cleaning squid. No special tools or equipment are required. All you need is a sharp knife, a cutting board, a clean bowl and some patience. The work is done slowly:

• in the place where the tentacles begin, near the round hole, carefully pry the edge of the skin with a knife or fingernail. Blanks without entrails or solid ones are used;
• holding the carcass with your left hand (it’s more convenient if you press the workpiece against the board), pull the skin towards the fins. A secret from the chef: to remove the film the first time, it is better to work with a slightly frozen carcass. Then the body of the mollusk will not spread in your hands, but will hold its shape well;
• repeat movements towards the edge of the squid’s head until it is completely cleaned;
• Turn the carcass inside out and thoroughly clean the walls of any remaining internal organs. Rinse the product thoroughly under running cold water and proceed with further preparation. If seafood was purchased whole, you need to remove the chord. Secrets from the chef: the skin is removed until completely cleaned (while the carcass holds its elastic shape). This will be difficult to do later;
• prepared seafood tubes can be cut into strips, rings or left whole. In the future, there should be no problems with how to clean the squid from the film.

Hot way

The skin is easily and quickly removed using the hot method. This option is suitable if you do not need a whole carcass for baking or stuffing. The main point is boiling. You will need a knife, board, bowl, pan, brush and half an hour of free time.

Note: pre-treatment with boiling water can change the taste properties of shellfish. And the protein itself will become a little tougher. The taste of the product depends on the cooking time.

Step-by-step master class on the hot method of cleaning squid:

• Be sure to completely defrost the carcasses first, remove the entrails and rinse thoroughly. Do not remove the outer skin;
• Place a pan of water on the fire and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and place prepared carcasses into boiling water;
• Boil for 1-2 minutes, remove and cool. Before cooking, salt the water;
• Holding the tubes in your left hand, use a soft-bristled brush to remove the film with light movements. It will roll up, so it is convenient to carry out the procedure under running water. Secrets from the chef: in order to get rid of the skin well and completely, it is recommended to immerse the squid tubes again in boiling water for half a minute. The procedure also helps to remove the smell of raw, chlorinated water.

In the video you can see in detail how to quickly clean shellfish.

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