If you have squid with heads and tentacles, then first you need to get rid of all inedible parts.

Toshiyuki IMAI / Flickr.com

Take the squid carcass in one hand, with the other grab the head near the eyes. Pull gently - along with the head and tentacles, you will remove some of the viscera. The rest can be removed when you skin.

The tentacles are usually discarded with the head, but they can be used. To do this, you need to cut them off near the eyes. Be sure to remove the squid's mouth at the same time - it is hard, hiding among the tentacles.

But usually everyone does not have to bother with this. In stores, as a rule, they sell frozen squid in a semi-cut form: without heads and tentacles.

Carcasses (biologists would say - a mantle) are covered with a red and white film, which is troublesome and long to clean with a knife.

To quickly clean the squid, you need to douse them with boiling water, hold them in hot water for about a minute and rinse them under running water. Some housewives treat carcasses as with pasta: pour boiling water in a colander and immediately turn on cold water.

Under the influence of high temperature, the skin will easily and quickly come off the carcass. You only have to remove its remnants when rinsing. Then the squid can be cut lengthwise to remove the chitinous plate and entrails.

But you can not violate the cylindrical shape of the mantle: the insides and chitinous plate are easily removed with your fingers. Whole squid can be stuffed or cut into rings.

Method 1. "Cold start"

Place the peeled squid in a saucepan with cold water. Place the utensils on the stove and turn on medium heat. When the water warms up, add a little salt, and when it boils, immediately turn it off and catch the carcasses.

Like many other seafood, squid does not tolerate heat treatment well. If the clam is cooked for a long time, the meat will be tough, like a rubber sole.

The main secret of cooking squid is not to overcook it.

It is important not to miss the boiling point. You literally need to stay close to the pot.

Method 2. Boiling in hot water

Bring lightly salted water to a boil. When the first bubbles appear, start the squid. Boiling will stop for a while, and as soon as it resumes, you need to turn it off immediately.

Here, too, it is very important not to overexpose the meat in boiling water.

Method 3. Pouring boiling water

Many consider this method to be the most correct and argue that squids cooked in this way are the most tender and delicious.

You need to fill it three times. The first is the time when you pour boiling water over the squid to get rid of the skin.

The second time you need to leave the peeled shellfish in boiling water for one minute. After that, rinse the carcasses with water and boil the kettle again. After the third pouring (holding time is also 60 seconds) and rinsing, the squid are ready to eat. You can add salt to the bowl each time you pour it.

Some housewives cut or stuff them right away. Others remove the transparent film from the carcasses.

Method 4. Combined

The highlight of this method is that the squid is cooked right away. The skinning stage is combined with the boiling process.

Salt boiling water: about 1 tablespoon to 3 liters of water. Place thawed squid in it. You will see how the mantle of the mollusks will become voluminous and the red and white film will come off them.

Wait until the interrupted boil resumes, and note 1.5-2.5 minutes. Simmer the squid with a vigorous boil, uncovered. After the specified time has elapsed, the pan must be removed from the heat and covered with a lid.

Let the squid cool for 10-15 minutes. After that, rinse them under running water, remove the remnants of the skin, entrails and chord plate.

Alternatively, you can immediately put the carcasses in a bowl of cold water, thereby stopping the heat treatment.

Boiled squid can be used in salads, fried in batter rings, stuffed with various fillings.

Kevin / Flickr.com

The described methods of cooking squid are very simple and take a minimum of time. Try all four to find out which calamari is the most tender for your taste.

Do you know other secrets of cooking squid? Share in the comments.

For a long time people have been using seafood for food, they are tasty and nutritious. Squids are one of the most affordable and healthy seafood. Squids are rich in vitamins, microelements, they contain a lot of iodine, phosphorus and magnesium. They are also rich in valuable protein, which is easily absorbed and stimulates the production of gastric juice. To prepare dishes with squid, you need to know how to properly clean them from the film. It is also important to cook them properly to keep the meat tender and juicy.

Before cooking, the squid should be peeled from the film. To do this, pour boiling water over the carcasses for a few seconds, the thin skin should come off by itself. But there may be a problem - after boiling water, the squids are already half cooked, and they are easy to digest. In this case, use a different method to remove the film from the squid. Take out the frozen product from the refrigerator and defrost it in the air. Press the defrosted carcass with your hand and remove the skin, gently prying its edge with your fingernail. Usually the skin of the squid comes off completely, but if it was thawed and frozen again, then it may not come off. You also need to remove the skin from the squid wings and remove the chitinous plates from the inside before cooking. Depending on the food you plan to cook, there are several easy ways to cook frozen squid. For example, to prepare a salad with squid, it is enough to pour boiling water over the carcass and hold it for 5 minutes. Then remove the skin from it, cut into rings and sprinkle with lemon juice. For some dishes, the squid should be boiled for a little longer using spices. To cook squid correctly, you will need:

• Water - 1 L;
• Black peppercorns;
• Bay leaf - 2 pcs;
• Salt;
• Squid carcasses - 2 pcs.

Season with salt, pepper and bay leaf, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Dip the squids in boiling water, bring to a boil again and remove with a slotted spoon. Squid meat tends to digest quickly and become rubbery. In order to cook soft and tender meat, you can use the following method - boil water with spices, lower the squid carcass, count to 10 and remove. We do the same with the next carcass. You can also boil water with salt and spices, put squid in the water and remove the pan from heat. Gradually, the squid carcass will become soft, rich in spices and will not be digested. Squid protein has the ability to curdle quickly, so the less time you cook the carcass, the juicier it will turn out. If you cook the squid for more than 2 minutes, then it will become hard and rubbery, after half an hour of cooking, it will be soft again, but it will decrease in size by half. Therefore, for the preparation of delicious squid dishes, it is better not to cook, than to digest.

A large number of dishes are prepared with squid, in addition to the famous salad, squid is put in sandwiches, in pizza, zrazy is made, stuffed with vegetables, and snacks are prepared. Properly peeled and cooked, squid is a delicacy and delicate delicacy for true gourmets.

Seafood is not in vain considered one of the most useful products for our health. They are rich in proteins, trace elements (iodine, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus), vitamins Bi, Br, Bia, PP and C, and also contain extractive substances that promote the secretion of gastric juice.

Squid is an affordable product that is not inferior in nutritional value to the most expensive inhabitants of the deep sea. Squid meat has a peculiar taste, reminiscent of that of a lobster. Squid dishes are easy to digest, appetizing and extremely easy to prepare. The most popular dishes are salads, hot snacks, zrazy, kupaty, and squid stuffed with all kinds of fillings. Squid meat can be used as an independent dish by sprinkling with lemon juice and olive oil. But here a natural question arises - how to cook squid so that this delicacy does not lose its tenderness and taste?

Squid for salad

How to cook squid for salad? In principle, you can not cook squid for salad at all - raw peeled carcasses are sprinkled with vinegar and in this form they are ready for use.

If, nevertheless, you decide to boil the squid, then you can pre-cut it into strips or rings and cook it already cut. But this method is quite uneconomical, and it is better to cook whole carcasses for a minute or a half.

For salads, cooks often offer this method: pour boiling water over the prepared carcasses and leave for ten minutes. This is quite enough. If in doubt, you can simply scald the squid with boiling water. In a word, how to cook squid - each housewife has the right to determine for herself.

And yet, how to cook squid correctly?

Before cooking, the squids need to be prepared. They are sold frozen. It is better to defrost squid outdoors, not in water. Then they need to be cleaned, as the film covering the fillets will spoil the taste of the dish. The cleaning technology is pretty simple:

• Press the carcass with one hand against the cutting board, and with the other pry the skin with your fingernail, it is removed with a stocking.
• Now you need to remove the skin from the wings of the squid.
• Take out the insides and chitinous plates.
• Rinse the carcass inside and outside with running cold water.

But now, in fact, you can start cooking.

Squids should never be overcooked, as the meat becomes tough, decreases significantly in size and loses its taste.

To keep the squid meat juicy and tender, you need to know how to cook squid correctly:

• Method number 1. Boil a liter of water, adding peppercorns, bay leaves and salt to it. Dip the squid carcass into boiling water, close the pan with a lid and remove it from the heat. In ten minutes, the squid is ready.
• Method number 2. Put the carcass in boiling water with spices, count to ten and quickly remove with a slotted spoon, then do the same with the following carcasses.
• Method number 3. For one kilogram of squid, you need to boil two liters of salted water. Put the carcasses, wait for a boil, after half a minute remove the pan from the stove and leave the carcasses in water for another five minutes.
• Method number 4... As soon as the water with the added spices boils, lower the squid, immerse it whole with a slotted spoon and remove after five seconds, wait for a boil and immerse again for another five seconds.

You can put any spices: peppercorns, cloves, dill, parsley.

How long to cook squid?

The cooking time for squid can be determined by eye: as soon as the meat turns white, it is ready. A special nuance in cooking squid, which is worth knowing about - after half an hour of cooking, the meat will become soft again, only it will lose almost half of its weight.

Therefore, it is better to use the above methods and not take into account the tips for cooking squid, which indicate a time of three to five minutes. The maximum cooking time for squid is up to one and a half minutes.

Larisa Hartman

Squid meat is a very tasty and nutritious product that is widely used in cooking. Appetizing salads, snacks are prepared from it, it is stewed with vegetables and herbs, squid carcasses are stuffed with various fillings.

Squid meat is dietary and easily digestible, despite its high content of fats, carbohydrates and proteins. It is rich in fatty acids, vitamins, iodine, copper and iron and potassium, so necessary for our body.

Especially popular and a place of honor on the festive table are delicious, wholesome, in combination with a wide variety of products. To prepare a tasty and satisfying squid meat dish with a delicate, juicy and pleasant taste, it is important to know how to cook squid for salad. Indeed, if improperly prepared, a delicate product can become hard and "rubbery" in taste and spoil the impression of the dish. How to cook squid correctly?

How to choose squid

As a rule, squids are sold frozen, since there is no opportunity to purchase fresh, freshly caught shellfish in our region. Therefore, when choosing squid carcasses for cooking in the frozen food section of a supermarket, first of all, you should pay attention to their color. If frozen squids are sold already peeled, they should be white. The yellowness of the carcass indicates that the mollusk has been thawed and frozen repeatedly, it is better to refuse to buy such a product. Such squid meat will be tasteless and bitter.

Unpeeled carcasses have a pinkish-purple or burgundy skin tone, depending on the habitat and age of the marine inhabitant. The next thing to look out for is the layer of ice that covers the product. It should be the minimum amount, if the squid carcasses are held by a dense block of ice, which means that the seafood has been subjected to numerous defrosting, and when thawing, you will also receive a bonus - a large amount of melt water, for which you had to pay.

Ideally, the amount of ice should be 8% of the total weight of the squid, the carcasses should be easily separated, also pay attention to the integrity of the skin - there should be no breaks on it. It is worth noting that the smaller the squid carcass, the softer and softer its meat is.

How to prepare squid for cooking

Thaw seafood at room temperature before cooking. If there is very little time, you can fill them with cold water, so they will defrost faster. If you pour hot water on the clam, the meat will be very tough and tasteless. After thawing the carcass, it must be cleaned of film and cartilage. First, the insides of the squid are removed, then the cartilage is removed to facilitate the cleaning process, you can turn the carcass inside out.

Next, you need to carefully remove the film, trying not to damage it, it is necessary to pull it off the carcass like a stocking. Sometimes, the film is difficult to remove, tears, it has to be removed in parts. The best way to remove the skin is under running cold water. The carcasses, peeled from the entrails and skins, are ready for cooking.

How to cook squid

About how long it takes to boil squid meat is a controversial issue, the opinions of culinary specialists about which are radically opposite. Some recommend subjecting the shellfish to heat treatment for no more than one minute, while others argue that the product needs at least 10 or even 30 minutes to cook. But, they all agree that overcooked squid is unusable, it becomes tough and tasteless, resembling "rubber".

How to cook squid correctly so that the meat is juicy, tender and tasty?

1. The secret of the juiciness of squid meat is in its short-term cooking, it is placed only in boiling liquid, like all seafood.
2. The volume of water used for cooking squid should be such that it only slightly covers the carcasses of the shellfish.
3. Squid meat is cooked for no more than 2 minutes, the cooked meat will turn white and will not decrease in volume.
4. Boil squid carcasses in small portions, putting 1-2 pieces in boiling water. Then remove them with a slotted spoon and immerse the next batch in the water.
5. A wide variety of spices are suitable for cooking shellfish, choose any to your liking. White, black pepper, fresh or dry dill, bay leaves, parsley, cloves, coriander or basil are wonderful set off the taste of seafood.

Methods for cooking squid for salad

There are several ways how boil squid for salad so that the meat turns out to be the most tender and unusually juicy.

The first way

The ideal cooking process for clam meat for salad looks like this:

1. Pour water (about 1 liter) into a saucepan, salt, add spices to taste (peppercorns, bay leaves or others) and let them boil for about 5 minutes.
2. Dip the peeled squid carcass into boiling water with a slotted spoon, count to 10 and take out the slotted spoon. We repeat this action for the rest of the carcasses. As a result, the clam meat will be fragrant, tender, very juicy and tender - ideal for making squid salad.

Second way

In boiling, salted and seasoned water to taste, put the squid carcasses and cook them for no more than 2 minutes. The readiness of the meat can be determined by the characteristic white color of the cooked meat. With this method of cooking, the main task is not to overexpose the finished meat in boiling water, so do not keep the carcasses in boiling water, but remove it immediately.

If, nevertheless, the squid fillet has been digested and acquired a characteristic "rubber" effect, do not be upset, the softness and tenderness of the meat can be returned!

It is enough to continue cooking it for another half hour. During this time, the carcasses will significantly lose in volume, but will become soft, while retaining all the nutrients and vitamins.

How to cook frozen squid without defrosting

Squids can be boiled, without first defrosting them, in this way you can cook frozen squid meat rings or carcasses, which, already peeled and frozen, you purchased at the supermarket. Such cooking will significantly save time, since all the carcasses from which you will prepare dishes are put into the pan, there is no need to stand at the stove and boil the squid in boiling water one by one. How much to cook peeled frozen squids? Everything is very simple.

Pour water into the pan, preferably with a margin so that all the carcasses fit in it. Add spices and salt for flavor and aroma and bring the water to a boil. We spread the frozen squid in boiling water, time it for exactly one minute, turn off the stove and leave the squid to infuse in hot water for 10 minutes. Then we take out the carcasses and prepare delicious dishes from them.

We cook squid in a double boiler, multicooker and microwave

Another way to boil delicious, juicy squid meat for salad is to use kitchen helpers.

In a double boiler, you can perfectly cook the most tender meat without water, steamed. To do this, place the peeled, thawed carcasses in a steamer bowl and steam them for about 10-12 minutes.

The only disadvantage of this method is that after cooking you will not have the broth that remains after cooking in a saucepan, because it can be used to make fish soups and sauces.

The same method of steaming squid can be done using a multicooker, if the kitchen assistant model has the "Steam cooking" function.

You can also cook squid in the microwave. Prepare a refractory dish with a lid, put the squid carcasses in it. Be sure to sprinkle them with fresh lemon juice, close the lid tightly, and leave in the microwave for 2 minutes (with a household appliance power of 700-800 watts), so you cook squid in your own juice. If you wish, you can pour a little water with spices and salt into the container. The microwave timer will alert you when the meat is ready.

How much boiled squid meat is stored?

Of course, boiled squid meat is best used immediately for making salads or other dishes. If something interferes with your plan, then you can safely, without prejudice to your health, keep it in the refrigerator for no more than a day. In case of urgent need, boiled carcasses can be frozen in the freezer, where they are stored for about a month, but the quality of the meat, its juiciness, deteriorates noticeably.

Interesting Squid Facts:

• squids are the oldest marine cephalopods, widespread in the oceans.
• the size of a marine inhabitant can reach from 18 to 20 cm
• squids move in the water with the help of tentacles, fleeing from large sea inhabitants, they are capable of developing tremendous speed.
• an additional means of defense against attack is an ink sac, which contains ink liquid. When attacking, in case of danger, he releases it, creating an ink protective curtain around himself.

Squids are mollusks, marine inhabitants, which are so loved by the Russian people for their unobtrusive and delicate taste. Various snacks are prepared from them, but most often they are used to prepare boiled salads. How to cook squid so that they are soft, and how much - many ask this for a reason. If you digest this product, it loses its tenderness, becomes elastic and hard, like rubber. To avoid such problems and not be branded as an inept hostess in front of guests, we suggest that you learn all the secrets of cleaning and cooking squid.

How to peel squid?

If you are planning to prepare some kind of festive salad with the addition of seafood, then, after defrosting the squid carcasses in a natural way, they need to be peeled. There is a thin film on top of these molluscs, which must be removed. You need to clean the squid the same way inside. How is this done correctly?

The easiest way is to use the temperature drop so that the film peels off by itself. Put the carcasses in a saucepan, boil water in a kettle. Place a bowl of very cold water next to it. Pour boiling water over the squid and immediately transfer them with a slotted spoon to ice water. As you pull the clams onto a cutting board, you will see that the thin hymen is peeling off. All that remains to be done is to pry it off with your fingers and pull it off the entire surface of the carcasses. The squid has a thin, hard plate inside that needs to be removed. Feel it with your fingers and gently pull it out. Everything, the product can be cooked.

Rubber squid - a relic of the past

Although squid is now common and is sold in almost every store, it has not become as popular as, for example, in Japan. It's all about the prevailing stereotype - as many housewives say, this product is rubber. The misconception about these mollusks was formed due to the fact that in Soviet times, our grandmothers boiled them for 7-10 minutes. They passed this technology on to their daughters. However, in the composition of squid there is a lot of protein, which, like egg, becomes hard with prolonged cooking. The Japanese, who know a lot about seafood, do not boil these shellfish at all. For them, this is a normal and familiar phenomenon. So do you need to cook squid? If so, how?

How and how much to cook squid so that their carcasses are soft?

The secret of making this delicacy is simple - the less you cook it, the more tender the meat. How do the Japanese cook shellfish? They scald the carcasses with boiling water at most, nothing more. They add almost fresh shellfish meat to salads or pickle and eat it, and they do it often. Isn't that why they are distinguished by good health, longevity and a sharp mind?

Some housewives are afraid to exactly follow the example of the Japanese, so they still boil the seafood. This can be done in different ways.

1. Peeled carcasses are immersed in boiling salted water for literally 30-40 seconds.
2. After cleaning, the mollusks are poured with freshly boiled water and covered with a lid. Leave them to lie in hot water for 3-4 minutes.
3.Using a sieve, lower the carcasses in salted boiling water for 5 seconds, then take them out, and when the water comes to a boil again, lower them for another 5 seconds.
4. Immerse the clams in boiling water and turn off the fire immediately. After 3 minutes, remove the squid from the pan.

As you can see, in the heat treatment of this product, the word "cook" is not entirely appropriate. Rather, the mollusks are doused with boiling water or insisted in it for a short time, but not boiled. What happens if you cook squid for more than 2 minutes? They gradually lose their taste, become tough, and difficult to chew. Dishes with such shellfish are unlikely to please seafood lovers. The longer you cook the squid, the coarser the protein fibers become. In addition, with prolonged heat treatment, this delicacy loses its useful properties.

What spices to add to water when cooking?

Some hostesses and seafood connoisseurs do not add spices at all when cooking squid. The maximum is salt. Just taste the water by adding salt. If you like the degree of salinity, send the carcasses there. Some people like it when seafood is seasoned. They add peppercorns, bay leaves and lemon juice to boiling water. You can put a little dill, cloves or parsley for the smell.

Why are squids useful??

The meat of these sea creatures is not only tasty. It belongs to dietary products, as it is easily absorbed and promotes the secretion of gastric secretions. It contains a lot of protein and absolutely no fat. Eating these shellfish meat on a regular basis will help replenish the body's iodine supply. It also contains a lot of potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. Squids are loved for their delicate flavor, which is a bit like lobster. The latter are not available to a wide range of consumers, but almost everyone can afford squid.

Conclusion

Now you understand how to cook squid correctly so that they are soft? It's simple - you don't need to cook them at all. Maximum - subject to heat treatment for 10-30 seconds. Don't worry about having to eat raw shellfish meat. Boiling water quickly penetrates the protein and curls it up. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures will turn your product into "rubber" and deprive it of its beneficial properties.