How to properly cook squid. How to cook squid

The popularity and demand for seafood is growing every year, this is due to their excellent taste, usefulness and relatively inexpensive cost.

Today, for the preparation of delicious and healthy dishes, it is easy to buy frozen clams in supermarkets. , squids and other inhabitants of the deep sea. However, to enjoy your favorite dishes, you need high-quality and fresh ingredients.

This also applies to squids, so information on how to properly cut them, clean them and how much to cook will not be superfluous for everyone. To enjoy food, you need to know little secrets on how to properly boil squid for cooking various dishes and salads.

We pay attention to the choice of product

The initial stage will be the competent selection of squid. It is more reliable to do this in specialized departments of supermarkets, they do not stale and goods are more often imported. According to experts, it is better to give preference to unpeeled carcasses with soft purple or pink skins.

If only peeled squids are on sale, you should pay attention to the signs that indicate their deterioration. It can be small brown or black spots, yellowish coating, cracks, lack of elasticity and density.

The purchased product must be constantly in the freezer and removed only for the preparation of certain dishes, since repeated frosts make it unsuitable for consumption.

Subtleties of cutting

As a rule, whole frozen carcasses are offered for sale, and since shredded meat is required as an ingredient for salad, squids must be properly cut and prepared for cooking.

To do this, they are first thawed naturally, and if there is not enough time, the process is accelerated with cold water. Within about an hour, they are completely defrosted and ready for cleaning.

First, all the insides and cartilage are removed, thoroughly washed and the inner and outer film is removed. Usually it is easily picked up by nails and quickly pulled together. If seafood comes across frozen, then the film begins to tear and be removed in parts. Peeled and boiled carcasses are ready for cooking a variety of dishes.

Important! Never put squids in boiling water before cleaning, as this will make them hard and lose their taste.

How to organize the brew

For many housewives, the burning question is still how much to cook carcasses? Some, out of fear that they will be undercooked, get tasteless meat, which can hardly be put in a salad.

There are several proven ways to cook squid to get the most tender and flavorful meat for cooking your favorite gourmet dishes.

If for some reason you have overcooked seafood, and they have become unsuitable for cooking your favorite dishes due to hardness, try to restore them. To do this, cook over low heat for at least an hour to soften, but keep in mind that after that they will lose some of their useful qualities and decrease in weight.

Now you know how to properly cook squid for salad so that it turns out tasty, healthy and nutritious.

Seafood has long been used for food, they are tasty and nutritious. Squid is 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 digested 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 correctly so that the meat is soft and juicy.

Before cooking, squid should be cleaned of the film. To do this, pour the carcasses with boiling water for a few seconds, the thin skin should come off by itself. But a problem may arise - after boiling water, squids are already half cooked, and they are easy to digest. In this case, use another method for cleaning squid from the film. Remove the frozen product from the refrigerator and defrost in air. Press the defrosted carcass with your hand and remove the skin, gently prying its edge with your fingernail. Usually the skin from the squid comes off completely, but if it has been thawed and re-frozen, then it may not come off. You also need to remove the skin from the squid wings and remove the chitin plates from the inside before cooking. Depending on the dish 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 the carcass with boiling water and hold for 5 minutes. Then remove the skin from it, cut into rings and sprinkle with lemon juice. For some dishes, squid should be boiled 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.

Salt the water, add pepper and bay leaf, 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 like rubber. 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 it. We also do with the next carcass. You can also boil water with salt and spices, put squid in water and remove the pan from heat. Gradually, the squid carcass will become soft, saturated with spices and will not be digested. Squid protein has the ability to quickly fold, 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, if cooked for half an hour, it will become soft again, but will decrease in size by half. Therefore, for the preparation of delicious squid dishes, it is better not to overcook than to overcook.

A large number of dishes are prepared with squids, in addition to the famous salad, squids are put in sandwiches, in pizza, they make zrazy, stuffed with vegetables, and snacks are prepared. Properly cleaned and cooked, squid is a delicacy and tender delicacy for real gourmets.

After cooking, you can fry, but the first stage of their preparation plays a special role. These seafood must be cooked with great care. They reach readiness in 1-2 minutes, so it is very easy to digest them. Boiled squids do not change their structure during frying, but if they are cooked for too long, they will become very tough, and it will be difficult to eat them.

How to cook squid carcasses:

• if squid carcasses are frozen, then they must be thawed;
• before cooking, squids must be cleaned (the film can be easily removed if the carcasses are placed in boiling water for a few seconds);
• the water must be brought to a boil and only after that put the squids in the pan;
• squids will be ready in 1-2 minutes (you can’t leave seafood in hot water, the cooking process in this case will continue, and they will become hard);
• add salt and spices at the moment of boiling liquid.

You can cook squid using a microwave, pressure cooker, slow cooker and double boiler. With the help of all these devices, they are cooked for the same time. The exception is the steamer. The cooking time of squid will increase slightly due to cooking not in a liquid, but by steaming. Before laying the squids in the bowls, they must be wiped with vegetable oil, sprinkled with lemon juice and, if desired, rubbed with spices.

The nuances of cooking squid:

• it is necessary to cook squid rings in the same way as carcasses;
• during the cooking process, squid meat should turn white;
• if you put sticky squids in boiling water, they will burst during the cooking process;
• you can’t fry fresh squid (without pre-cooking, seafood will be tough and may get a bitter aftertaste);
• before cooking, squids can be marinated (for the marinade, you need to use a small amount of water, salt, lemon juice, and, if desired, also pepper, paprika and garlic);
• squids absorb foreign smells and tastes well, so any spices should be added in a minimal amount;
• if you try to cook squids with signs of improper storage (excessive ice, damaged skin, etc.), then after cooking they can become bitter.

For those who do not have the experience of cooking squid, there is a special way, thanks to which it is impossible to digest squid. Boil water in a saucepan, first add the required amount of salt and spices. Then the liquid is brought to a boil and squids are laid out in it. Immediately after this (without waiting time), the pan must be removed from the heat and covered with a lid. In this state, seafood should be about 0 minutes. The result of these actions will be cooked and soft squid.

How much to cook squid

The cooking time in the form of carcasses or rings differs slightly. In the first case, the cooking process will take 2 minutes, in the second case - 1 minute. Frozen squid must be thawed before cooking.

If you cook squid for more than 3 minutes, then their taste properties will be violated, and the size will decrease significantly. The texture of overcooked seafood resembles rubber. If the squid has been cooked for too long, then you can restore its softness by repeated heat treatment. The total cooking time should be at least 20 minutes. The size of the seafood will not be returned, but the consistency will return.

Cooking time for squid in different ways:

• regular pan - 1-2 minutes;
• double boiler - 5 minutes;
• pressure cooker - 1 minute;
• multicooker - 2 minutes;
• microwave - 3 minutes.

There are many ways to cook squids, but it is better to use an ordinary pan for cooking them. In microwave ovens, double boilers and other equipment, it is difficult to control the process and you cannot see the external changes in seafood. It is better to use such methods only in case of emergency.

Despite the fact that few people have seen live squids, dishes from them are very popular.

Although not every housewife will take up the preparation of this delicacy, believing that it is difficult to cook it. After all, when cooking squid, you need to carefully observe the cooking time, otherwise, instead of tender, tasty meat, you can get a tough, rubbery seafood that vaguely resembles a squid.

Most often, these seafood come to store shelves in frozen form.

The edible parts of the squid are the head, body and tentacles.

How to prepare squid for cooking

• Before cooking, squids are thawed. To do this, frozen carcasses are placed in cold water, in which they are thawed.
• The remains of the viscera, as well as chitin plates, are removed from the carcasses.
• Then the squid is peeled. To do this, they are alternately immersed for a few seconds in hot water and removed with a slotted spoon into a bowl.
• After that, they part well with thin skin, which is easy to remove with your fingers by substituting the carcass under running water.
• Rinse well under running water.

How to cook squid properly

The main rule when cooking squid is not to overcook.

After all, it is enough to hold the carcasses in boiling water for 2-3 minutes longer than necessary, and their meat will become, firstly, tough, and secondly, they will decrease in size.

There are several ways to cook this seafood, and all of them require the obligatory presence of the hostess near the stove, almost with a stopwatch in her hands.

Method 1

• Squids are peeled and washed.
• Carcasses are dipped in boiling salted water and boiled for 2-3 minutes.
• As soon as they turn white, they are taken out and cooled.

Method 2

• Squids are poured with boiling water, kept for several seconds.
• The water is drained, and the carcasses are peeled.
• Then they are washed in cold water.
• After that, each carcass is lowered in turn into boiling salted water for 10 seconds. Many housewives believe that this time is enough to cook this seafood.

Method 3

• Squids are peeled, doused with boiling water.
• Remove the insides and wash.
• Prepared carcasses are lowered into boiling water, brought to a boil again.
• Remove from heat and, without opening the lid, leave for 5 minutes.
• Take out of the water and cool.

Method 4

• Squids are peeled and washed in cold water.
• Pour water into the pan, put salt and spices and bring to a boil.
• Lower the carcasses, cover with a lid, wait a few seconds and remove from heat.
• Cool for 10 minutes without removing from the water.

Method 4 (microwave cooking)

• Water is poured into the pan, salted and put in the microwave.
• Bring to a boil.
• The prepared carcasses are lowered.
• Cook for 1.5 minutes at maximum power.
• They take out squids and cool them.

Method 6 (cooking in a double boiler)

• Squids are dipped in boiling water, taken out and peeled.
• Rinse well and remove the insides.
• Pour into a steamer bowl.
• Cooking 10 minutes from the moment of inclusion.
• Cool down.

Boiled squids are cut into strips, rings or cubes and cooked as required by the recipe.

Note to the owner

• Squids are a valuable product. They contain up to 19% protein, up to 1.4% fat. They are rich in selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium, B vitamins.
• In order not to spoil the dish with stale squid, you need to be able to choose them. A carcass that has been properly stored should be firm, pinkish-brown or pinkish-purple in color. The inner flesh should be white.
• It is better to buy unpeeled squids, since the quality of the carcass can be determined by the skin.
• When cooking squid, you can use different spices, taking into account taste preferences.
• Overcooked and rubbery squids can be made softer by boiling them for 30-40 minutes. But in this case, the carcasses will significantly decrease in size, and their quality will be much worse.
• Frozen squid should not be re-frozen. This fact can be judged by the carcasses frozen together. It is better not to buy such products.
• If squids are cooked together with other products, then they are put in the pan at the very last turn, when the dish is almost ready.
• To improve the taste when cooking squid, add a sufficient amount of salt. The piquancy of the dish is also given by lemon juice, which is sprinkled with both ready-made carcasses and fresh ones.
• In order for squids to reveal their unique flavor well, there should be more of them in the dish than other products. For the same reason, squids are not mixed with foods that have a strong odor.