Preparing

When cleaning whole squid, you need to deal with all of its parts. The pouch, fins, tentacles and ink are all edible; the rest should be discarded. In addition to being used in soups and fish stews, the various parts of the squid can be stir-fried, deep-fried, poached, grilled and even eaten raw in Japanese sushi.

1. Hold the body firmly in one hand and pull off the head and tentacles. Drain the ink and set it aside if you are going to use it in cooking.

   

2. Pull out the “pen”, which looks like a long piece of clear plastic, and discard.

   

3. Peel off all of the purple skin covering the body (pouch) and the fins; discard the skin.

   

4. Remove the fins from the pouch with a chef’s knife and reserve. Cut the tentacles from the head and reserve.

   

5. Squeeze the tentacles to remove the beak; cut off and discard. Cut off eyes and mouth; discard.

   

6. After cleaning, cut the pouch into rings or leave it whole for stuffing. Chop the fins and tentacles.