How To Quickly Peel Squids, Including Frozen Ones, And Quickly Get Rid Of The Film + Photos And Videos

How to properly and quickly peel squid

Cleaning squid seems to be an unusually difficult task for many, and as a result, this tasty and healthy product is not often included in the diet. But you can cook a lot of both everyday and holiday dishes from squid! You just need to learn how to clean them properly.

What kind of cleaning do squid need

Mollusc structure

Squids are cephalopods. Usually they are from 0.25 to 0.5 m long. They live in the northern seas and in subtropical waters. Squids have 5 pairs of tentacles and a torpedo-like body. The supporting cartilage runs along the body. There are suckers on the tentacles. Squids are the object of the fishery and are widely used in cooking.

Squid appearance

The difference between fresh and frozen product cleaning

The body of the squid and the tentacles are edible. The entrails, head, jaws are thrown away. The tentacles are cut off at eye level and, if they are to be used, the suction cups are removed.

Fresh squid

As a rule, you can get unfrozen squid where they are fished. Most often, frozen squids are found in stores, but freezing allows you to preserve the beneficial properties and taste. With fresh, not frozen squids, the skin is easily removed, and with frozen squids you will have to work a little longer.

It is best to defrost squid in the refrigerator, transferring them there from the freezer overnight.

A few words about buying frozen squid. Squid meat, thawed more than once, has an unpleasant taste and smell, therefore, first of all, you need to evaluate them by sight. The skin of the carcass should be brownish or pinkish-purple in color, but the meat is only white. If it turns yellow or turns purple, then this is a sign that it has been thawed.

How to properly cut a whole carcass

To peel a squid, you need to take it by the head with one hand and by the body with the other. Tentacles extend from the head of the mollusk. If you pull on the head, then it quickly separates along with the insides.

Removing the head and entrails of a squid

Next, the tentacles are trimmed.

Squid tentacles are trimmed

The jaws are hidden between the tentacles. They must be removed.

Squid jaws are located between the tentacles

There is a transparent plate in the body of the squid, which must be removed. Then you should carefully remove all films, including thin, transparent ones, which cover the body of the squid inside and outside.

Removing the film

This will require two containers. You need to pour cold water into one of them, you can even add ice. In the second - put squid, pour boiling water over them and quickly transfer them to cold water. Films from temperature changes can be easily removed.

You can also put the squid in a container, fill it with hot water and keep it there for no more than two minutes, otherwise they will be "rubbery" and tasteless. The squid skin curls up and then peels off easily under running water.

Cleaning options at home on video

How to peel whole squid (unfrozen)