Having decided to pamper your family with an exotic sea delicacy, the best option for a hearty, wholesome and extraordinary taste of food will be the preparation of squid.
But above all, squid, should be properly selected and cleaned, because of this, directly, depends on the appearance of the dish and its taste.
Choosing the right squid
For easy cleaning, fresh squid is best suited, it is very easy to remove the covering film. But unfortunately, frozen products are sold in supermarkets, and in order to avoid problems with its cleaning and cooking, seafood, you need to be able to choose the right one. The important point is that the squid should not be subjected to thawing and re-freezing, since all this will complicate the process of cleaning it. For this, when choosing a product, it is recommended to pay attention to the following:
• Squid carcasses should be easy to separate and not stick to each other. If they are difficult to separate, it means they are re-frozen.
• The meat of the carcass must be white. If it has a red or bluish tinge, it also means that the seafood has already been defrosted, after which the meat has taken on the color of the squid skin.
And, of course, at home, squids are stored in the freezer; they are not thawed before cleaning and cooking. Remember this.
Cleaning and cutting squid
1. First of all, the frozen squid carcass should be washed with boiling water, then immediately put in cold water, this method will simplify the process of removing the skin from the squid.
2. Cut the mollusk head - if it is available, and tentacles (they are useful in the preparation).
3. Gut the insides well.
4. Feel on the mantle transparent, thin chord (spine of the mollusk) and pull it.
5. On the other side of the knife, peel the squid from the outside and inside. In some cases, the film is well removed from the wide side of the mantle to the narrow, in one motion, like a stocking. The carcass, after cleaning, should turn white.
6. Thoroughly wash the squid carcass under running water.
7. Previously separated tentacles also need to be peeled. This is done easily, since the skin on them is more delicate than on the mantle of the squid and is well removed after scalding with boiling water under running water.
According to the results of the squid cleaning, two products will be obtained for cooking: carcass and tentacles.
Secrets of cooking delicious squid in different ways
• Boiled squid
Pour water into prepared pan. Add salt, bay leaf, allspice (peas) to it, and then wait for boiling water.
Purified squid carcasses lower into boiling water for 10-15 seconds. Then immediately pull out to avoid digestion of the fillet.
There is another method of cooking. Everything is done in the same way as in the previous method, but after boiling the water the carcass is lowered into boiling water and removed from the heat. Then insist about 10 minutes.
• Frying squid
Before you start grilling seafood, you first need to boil it in one of the above ways.
Then cool the cooked squid and cut into strips or rings.
Cook the lemon. To do this, beat the eggs, add the spices, sour cream or mayonnaise.
Sliced fillet dip in ice cream and roll in breadcrumbs for breading.
Fry in a pan with the addition of a small amount of vegetable or butter for 3-5 minutes.
In the same way, the dish can be cooked in a fryer.
The remaining squid tentacles, you can cook or fry in one of the recipes.
• Squid stuffing
Pre-peeled carcasses of mollusks slightly discourage. Then the cooked stuffing (it can be mushrooms with onions and eggs, vegetable or even meat stuffing) is more than half stuffed with a broken carcass.
The edges are fixed with a skewer. Stuffed squids are stewed in an oven heated to 180 degrees with the addition of water for 10-15 minutes. For 2-3 minutes until ready sprinkled with grated cheese. Baked until golden brown.
Hostess Tips on Squid Cooking
1. In order for the meat of the mollusk to be soft, its cooking time should not exceed 15 seconds.
2. It is not recommended to overload a squid dish with various spices during cooking. The dish will be too rich, lose its exotic taste.
3. Some chefs add a slice of lemon or one bag of black tea to the water during cooking.
The cooking options for this delicacy are huge. It all depends on your desires and eating habits.
Now, having learned how to choose the right and easy to clean seafood, you can pamper people close to you with dietary, nourishing and at the same time healthy squid dishes.
