How to Clean and Prepare Squid
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- Start by removing the tentacles.
- Remove the quill.
- Flush through with fresh water.
- Remove the skin.
- Separate the sock away from the guts.
- Plan whether you want rings or ‘fillets’.
- Dab dry.
How to Clean and Prepare Squid
Knowing how to clean and prepare squid allows for quick and easy versatile cooking of treat of a meal. With something so alien looking to most of us, it’s tough to figure out where to start, but this ‘how to’ breaks down the process for you.
Steps
1- Start by removing the tentacles. Pull the tentacles away from the body of the squid.
2- Remove the quill. Feel inside the body for the quill (it resembles a shard of plastic). Pull it out of the squid and discard.
3- Flush through with fresh water. Rinse the inside of the body of the squid in cold water.
4- Remove the skin. Pull the ears (wing-like flaps) from the body. Pull the purplish skin from the ears and body to leave only the white meat.
5- Separate the sock away from the guts. Cut the tentacles away from the guts by slicing just below the eyes. Check the centre of the tentacles for the hard beak, which can be discarded. (Discard the guts of the squid or, if desired, retain the ink sack to use in seafood pasta or risotto.)
6- Plan whether you want rings or ‘fillets’. Either slice the body of the squid into rings, or cut down one side of it, open it out, scrape away any traces of guts left inside the body, then score the inside lightly in a cross-hatch pattern.
7- Dab dry. Dry off the squid before cooking.
Tips
Before preparing your squid it’s good to have an idea of what you want to do with at as it would be a shame to cut rings when you’re actually having a bbq (and therefore need fillet)!
