Roberta Muir

Preparing Squid

Appears in
Sydney Seafood School Cookbook
Sydney Seafood School Cookbook

By Roberta Muir

Published 2012

  • About
  1. Grasp the arms and tentacles. Pull firmly to separate the head from the tube (try not to break the ink sac as the ink stains).

     

  2. Cut below the eyes. Discard the eyes and everything above them.

     

  3. Push the beak (mouth) out from between the arms. The tentacles and arms can also be washed and used.

     

  4. Remove the quill from inside the tube.

     

  5. Push your thumb between the tube and a side fin to break the skin.

     

  6. (A) Holding the side fins, twist the tip of the tube to pull it away from the skin. (B) Grasp the side fins and pull down to peel off the skin around the tube; the side fins can also be peeled and used.

     

  7. If you are cutting the tube into rings, wash the inside well to remove any remaining gut; otherwise, place the knife inside the tube and cut it open along the obvious seam. Lay the tube out flat and, working across the tube (not from top to bottom), wipe both sides firmly with paper towel to remove any remaining intestines and membrane.

     

  8. To honeycomb the squid, hold the knife at a 30-degree angle and score the inside of the tube on the diagonal. Turn the tube around 180 degrees and score again to create a crosshatch pattern. If slicing tubes that haven’t been honeycombed, cut from the top to the bottom of the tube to prevent curling.