As you know, seafood is very healthy. In them you can find a huge amount of useful substances and chemical compounds that are vital for the human body. Squids are no different here from the other inhabitants of the seas and oceans, so they are often used in various dishes related to healthy cuisine. In this article, you can learn about the properties of squids, their nutritional value. You can also familiarize yourself with the recipe for a simple, but at the same time unusually refined dish.
What are squids?
When it comes to delicacies, and many seafood are such, it is quite appropriate to find out their composition, for example, how many carbohydrates are in squid. It is also important to know the calorie content of foods in order to understand how much they can be added to your diet. And for some, it is even interesting whether such an individual as squid is a fish. By the way, in ancient times this delicacy was called “flying fish”. Although in fact the mollusk belongs to the cephalopod family, it is faster compared to its relatives.
Now in total there are about 200 different types of squid in nature, but only a few can be used as food. In Russia, only one of them is actively used - common mollusk. The composition of the squid of this breed is most beneficial to the human body.
Individuals of an ordinary species are quite small - their carcass does not exceed 50 cm in length, and they weigh only 300 grams. If you are interested in the question of what is edible in squid, then we can say that both the mantle (the body of the mollusk, which houses the ink bag and the insides) and the tentacles are actively used in cooking. Unfortunately, in Russia it is often possible to purchase only a pre-cleaned body in the form of a tube or rings.
It is also worth noting that squids have absolutely no bones, and their meat tastes very different from fish to taste.
The nutritional value
As has been scientifically proven, the chemical composition of squid is very diverse. However, despite this, its calorie content is quite small. So it’s not worth it to worry too much about this when using it, even for those people who care about their weight. Although for the most part it all depends on which cooking method was chosen, since it is impossible to compare the energy value of smoked and boiled product.
In general, the calorie content of boiled squid per 100 grams is 122 Kcal, but the raw product is only 92. Fried and dried squids will be more saturated, so they should be used with caution.
Squid protein content
Lovers of protein foods should be completely delighted with squid, as they are a real storehouse of useful compounds, which are necessary for normal functioning of the body.
In general, the nutritional component of the mollusk is generally very high. If you take into account the composition of the squid in its raw form, then the proteins there are 17.88 g per 100 grams of product, and fats and carbohydrates are only 2.3 g and 0.14 g, respectively. From this it follows that if you adhere to the correct diet of 2 thousand calories per day, then one serving of squid can provide almost 26% of the daily protein intake.
Surprisingly, after heat treatment, the composition of the squid remains almost the same if it is not fried and not smoked. In these cases, either the proteins are lost, or the calorie content becomes very high.
Chemical composition
All the benefits of squid primarily lies in its chemical composition. In addition, this product is very easy to digest, because when it enters the body, it provokes copious secretion of gastric juice and accelerates the metabolic processes that occur in it.
In addition, the following substances can be distinguished in the composition of squid:
- Vitamin B3, which helps lower and stabilize blood sugar.
- Taurine, an amino acid that stimulates the body and prevents the formation of plaques in the blood.
- The amino acid lysine improves the activity of the visual organ and relieves fatigue.
- Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids help strengthen immunity and normalize the functioning of all internal organs.
- Iodine increases the metabolic processes occurring in the body, and also affects the thyroid gland.
- Copper helps to form new red blood cells in the blood, and also prevents the occurrence of anemia.
In addition to all this, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, selenium and potassium can be found in squid, which also positively affect the human body, stabilizing the nervous and immune systems, and also provide the body with the necessary material for the formation and strengthening of bones and teeth.
Squid Harm
However, despite all its benefits, the squid has a number of negative aspects. First of all, eating seafood can often trigger an allergic reaction. If you are preparing a squid dish for the first time, then you should limit yourself to small portions, since it is not known what the response of the body will be.
In addition, mollusks can actively accumulate harmful substances in themselves, collecting them from the environment in which they live. So if the squid was caught in an area where there are problems with the environment, then a person can completely be poisoned by mercury, which provokes the development of nervous diseases.
It is also not recommended to eat dried squids in large quantities, because they not only have a high calorie content, but also contain a lot of salt, and therefore their use can lead to swelling.
The amount of cholesterol in the product
Research is still underway on how much cholesterol is in squid. The news will be that the amount of this harmful substance is 85 mg per 100 grams of product, which, according to scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency, is considered a very high rate. In fact, ordinary mollusks hold the bar of primacy in terms of cholesterol. If we talk about another representative of marine fauna - scallop, then the amount of this substance in their composition is only 54 mg, which is noticeably less.
However, it is generally believed that cholesterol that enters the body through boiled or stewed squids is not able to significantly increase the level of bad cholesterol in human blood.
Squid and diet
Quite often, people who have decided to go on a diet, the question arises about the suitability of squid in this diet. In fact, they can be safely eaten during this period, since their caloric content is ideal for this, and in terms of their percentage of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, the clam meat is quite consistent with chicken.
Also, squid is very well absorbed by the body, as it consists of muscle tissue. This allows a losing weight person to build muscle, and not just lose extra pounds.
Ways to cook squid
If you are interested in what to cook from squid, then there are many recipes. To begin with, you just need to boil them, and then you can use them as a base or an additional ingredient for various salads. Prepared carcasses will serve as a protein component for a wide variety of dishes. Squids go well with vegetables, fruits and spices. A perfect dressing for such a dish would be a mixture of olive oil with lemon juice. In addition, they can also be stewed in sauce, stuffed or fried in a pan.
Proper boiling
When cooking squids, it is important to boil them correctly, since this product is very moody. If you keep it in boiling water for a long time, then it becomes just rubber. For proper boiling, you must adhere to the following rules:
1. First you need to defrost the purchased clam and, if necessary, clean it.
2. Then boil the water and place the billet in it for a couple of minutes. As soon as the squid gets a white matte color, it means that it is completely cooked.
In order for the mollusk to find an interesting taste, cooking water must be salt and add various spices to it. The most ideal combination will be a mixture of bay leaves, black and white peppers, basil, dill and parsley. Coarse salt should be selected.
Stuffed Squid Recipe
What you can cook from squid is to stuff stuffed clam. Such a dish will be pleasantly served at the table. There is a huge variety of fillings, but a boiled egg and rice will be used here. In the end, you get a fairly simple, but very hearty and tasty dish, which will be a great addition to lunch or dinner.
So, to prepare stuffed squid, you will have to follow these steps:
1. Pre-rinse with 100 grams of rice under running water. This must be done until the liquid becomes clear. Then boil the rice in salted water. Next you need to cool it.
2. While preparing the cereal, you also need to boil 3 hard boiled eggs.
3. Well, now it's time to do the squid directly. First they need to be prepared. If you manage to buy unprocessed carcasses, then you first have to completely clean them, cut off the tails.
4. We leave the prepared squids alone, as the time has come to prepare the filling for them. To do this, peel and then cut the eggs into very small cubes.
5. Now we will be engaged in greens. It is best to use a mixture of various herbs - cilantro, green onion, dill and parsley. They also need to be chopped very finely.
6. Then mix rice, herbs and egg. The mixture is slightly salted, then one raw egg is added to it, which will become a binder. The filling is mixed again and now it is ready for use.
7. Next, each squid carcass is stuffed. Rice filling should be well tamped. Prepared squids are placed in a pan. Previously, before extinguishing, their edges need to be chopped off with toothpicks so that the filling does not fall out.
8. Now it's time to prepare the sauce. To do this, combine 150 ml of sour cream, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and half a glass of water. Everything mixes well and seasoned to taste. The sauce is poured into a pan with prepared shellfish carcasses. You need to wait until the liquid boils, and then simmer the dish for about 5 minutes. After that, stuffed squid can be served.
Conclusion
Properly prepared squids are unusually tasty and healthy. These are products with which to diversify the daily diet. Due to their composition, mollusks are low-calorie, they are filled with useful vitamins and minerals, so they may well suit the adherents of proper nutrition.