2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
One of our favorite seafood - squid (Loligo spp., Loliginidae), are extremely dietary and delicious food, regardless of how they are prepared. These cephalopod mollusks have a soft body, which is supported by an inner shell, and their length varies from 2.5 cm to 215 cm. The flesh is tender, tough and sweet. Squid are a close relative of no less appetizing octopus and oysters.
Over 350 species squid are known, and many of them live mainly in shallow coastal waters or live at shallow depths, below the surface of oceans, seas, lakes.
Squid (Teuthida) are a class of cephalopod mollusks. They have 8 short and 2 longer tentacles, all with suckers on them. Deep-sea species have glowing spots on their skin. The bodies of the squid are torpedo-shaped.
They have extremely well-developed eyesight and can change color in sync with their surroundings - they are often colored in white, brown, pink and red dots. Their excellent eyesight helps them to hunt successfully. When attacked, they emit a cloud of ink to confuse the attacker.
The colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) is the largest species of all squid species and the largest invertebrate on the planet, reaching up to 14 m in length. Squid provide food by grabbing the victim with their long tentacles and pulling them to their short tentacles, which hold them tight while they eat them. Another large species is the Giant Squid (Architeuthis dux), which has only suction cups (tentacles), while the Colossal Squid also has spines on its tentacles.
Since ancient times, squid has been a popular food on the Old Continent and in Japan. From time immemorial, people have hunted squid not only for their delicious food, but also for their protective ink paint. Once upon a time, in the Middle Ages, it was used as an ink for writing. In fact, from this fact comes the name "squid" - from the Latin "calmarius" or "writer".
Composition of squid
The squid are an extremely dietary food, rich in protein and very low in fat. Even breaded, squid would contain many times less fat than the main types of red meat. In addition, squid is a great source of selenium (38 mcg) and vitamin B12 (1.1 mcg), vitamins B2, B3, as well as the minerals phosphorus and zinc. This is one of the few high-cholesterol seafood. Squid are rich in iodine, vitamins C, PP and E.
Nutritional information per 100 g of squid (raw):
Calories: 92 kcal
Calories from fat: 12 kcal; Fat: 1 g; Omega-3 fatty acids: 0.6 g; Cholesterol: 233 mg; Protein: 16 g; Carbohydrates: 3 g; Sodium: 44 mg.
Selection and storage of squid
If you choose squid on the market, make sure they are fresh - make sure the tubes are thicker and the meat is thick and not slightly transparent. The flesher squid is tastier. Squid should be shiny and moist. If you buy them whole, their eyes should be bright, not cloudy, like all other seafood and fish.
If the squid is fresh, they will smell slightly of sea water, not fish. The membrane covering the squid is gray (not purple or pink). Live squid are translucent in color, but when caught, immediately change color to red, pink, brown, blue or yellow.
The squid tube can be offered lightly striated or cut into circles, suitable for cooking, stewing or frying. The tentacles may be cut into pieces. When buying squid in a package, check the expiration date and the type of preservatives used.
You can find the following squid products on the market:
- goals squid - sold usually chilled, covered with crushed ice or deep-frozen;
- squid slices - widespread, usually available ready-made and packaged, frozen. They are found in almost all major food chains;
- sterilized squid - Available in jars, marinated and often used in salads.
Culinary use of squid
The flesh of the squid is white, smooth, slightly rubbery. After cooking, the taste of squid becomes very good. Usually squid are prepared on the grill, breaded, baked in foil, steamed or under pressure. Squid taste best when left uncooked. The main rule when cooking squid is to keep the heat treatment to a minimum.
If you have whole fresh squid, first remove the transparent cartilage on the inside. Separate the head from the body, then the tentacles from the head. Rinse well and dry the tubes and tentacles before cooking. When cleaning, be careful not to burst the "ink" bag, because both you and the meat will be colored.
It is important to peel the purple skin (if not peeled), then dry them well and cut them into slices about 1 cm thick, and the tentacles can be left whole. If they are larger, cut them in half.
If you plan to bread or fry the squid, first roll them in the products provided for breading, and then let them fry in a deep pan with about 1.5 cm height of fat in the pan. It is very important not to fry the squid, because they will become tough - they are fried until a nice tan on the breading, and the meat itself should not turn brown.
Squid are delicious in any way - prepared with tomato sauce, aromatic paste or a simple garnish of vegetables. If you order squid in a nice restaurant, it would be good to combine it with Sauvignon Blanc - this wine goes perfectly with this seafood. We offer you a delicious and easy recipe for squid:
Recipe for Marinated squid with aromatic sauce
squid - 2 pieces, cleaned About the Marinade: milk; water; salt to taste; black pepper - ground at will. For the aromatic sauce: olive oil - 100 ml; lemons - 30 g; dill - 1/2 connection; garlic - 2-3 cloves; pepper; basil, oregano - 1-2 pinches, optional.
Preparation: Peeled squid is cut into slices and soaked in a marinade of 50% water and 50% milk, as well as salt to taste. While marinating, prepare the aromatic sauce, mixing all the products for it in a suitable container and mashing to a homogeneous mixture. Add a few drops of fat to a heated pan and fry the squid until lightly reddish. Add a few tablespoons of the aromatic sauce and stir gently until the liquid from the pan evaporates. Serve the marinated squid with a fragrant sauce with fresh vegetables.
Benefits of squid
Squid are useful in some thyroid diseases due to their high iodine content. Their consumption provides good prevention against diseases of the blood vessels and heart. The substances contained in this seafood delicacy give higher elasticity to the vessels, which makes them stronger and increases their ability to shrink. Squid meat is extremely useful for athletes and those who want to increase their muscle mass.
Squid improve the digestive system, and their meat does not contain purines that disrupt metabolic processes. In combination with other products, squid stimulates the secretion of gastric juices. In addition, their meat increases appetite and promotes bowel function.
A number of tests have shown that squid have strong antisclerotic properties. They stimulate mental activity and improve memory.
Harms from squid
Squid is a light and complete food, but it is not recommended for people with allergies to such seafood. It is good to be careful with the contents of the package when buying semi-finished products - frozen and ready for breading squid. If you are allergic to gluten or eggs that are part of the breading, this food is not recommended for you. Observe the quantity and types of E in such products.
Recommended:
Suitable Squid Breading
The squid you can bread with different breading . They will become even tastier if you leave them in the marinade beforehand. A very simple breading is with corn flour. Squid is breaded in very hot oil. Do not put many pieces at once when breading squid, because the temperature of the fat will drop and the breading will absorb the fat.
How To Clean Squid
There are different ways to clean squid, which are delicious and low-calorie products, so they are preferred by connoisseurs of fine cuisine and by people who want to lose weight. To clean the frozen squid quickly, take them out into a bowl and fill them with boiling water.
Suitable Squid Garnishes
Squid are among the favorites Seafood . They are delicious and exotic. And when served with the right garnish, they become the most irresistible temptation. If you still haven't figured out how to combine this seafood delicacy, take a look at our next lines.
Delicious Ideas For Stuffed Squid
Stuffed squid is one of the most elegant seafood dishes. Squid become very tender, and the filling can be varied and very fragrant. Squid can be cooked in many ways: stewed, boiled, spicy marinated in a deep fryer or pan, breaded or grilled.
Dangerous Squid Slipped Through The Shops
Dangerous squid from China and South Korea frighten consumers around the world, as seafood is high in mutated bacteria and is already in stores. Squid with dangerous bacteria have been found in grocery stores in Canada and have been found to contain microorganisms that are resistant to antibiotic treatment because they have a gene that neutralizes them.
