How to cook squid, all novice housewives are interested, because this is a common seafood dish that many people like to cook for a festive evening or for a family dinner. There are a large number of variations, so it is simply necessary to master them.
Fish delicacy
How to cook squid, even the inhabitants of ancient Rome and Greece knew. At that time, squid was called "winged fish." Even at that time it was considered an original delicacy, from which almost any national cuisine of the Mediterranean could boast of dishes. Both boiled squids and other methods of their preparation were popular.
In order for this dish to always turn out to be tasty and tender, you need to know about some features that will help you maintain the majority of nutrients and an unrivaled taste.
Always remember that squid meat must be thawed in air or in cool water with a small amount of salt. Only then should the skin be removed. It often happens that during cooking or frying, the fillet becomes stiff or tightened, so that this does not happen, it is necessary to repel it on both sides.
Be aware that squid meat never needs a long heat treatment. The longer you keep it in hot and boiling water, the more beneficial properties it will lose. Typically, the squid is cooked for about three to five minutes.
Cooking secrets
In order to learn how to cook squids, you first need to clean them. In the store, always strive to purchase uncleaned squid, because it is believed that they have more nutrients, and after production processing they lose them, and they also become hard to taste.
Before cleaning them, squids are thawed. This is done in a large bowl, in which squid is left for some time at room temperature or poured with boiling water for one minute. When the skin is curled, boiling water is drained and transferred to our delicacy in cold water. After that, it is very easy to remove the skin, chord and entrails. This is the most optimal way, thanks to which the squid will always turn out to be tender, soft and juicy.
Separately, you need to tell how to clean squid tentacles. To do this, they must first be thawed, and then remove the thin skin. Put the tentacles in a colander and literally drop them into boiling water for a few seconds. After thoroughly rinse in cold water, cleaning the softened skin with your fingers.
Boiled squid
If you are going to cook squid, then remember a few simple rules. In the water in which you will prepare them, you need to add allspice, salt and bay leaf. Lower the carcass into the water only after it boils, and after exactly ten seconds, pull it out.
When the water boils again, the same thing must be done with all the other carcasses that you expect to cook today. This is the most convenient and effective way to cook squid. Here's how to cook frozen peeled squid. If you leave this seafood for a longer time, then its taste will become like rubber, and most of the nutrients will simply evaporate.
By the way, there is another way how to cook squids, if they got us frozen. In boiling water you need to put spices and salt, and then throw the clams and immediately remove from heat. The squid should be infused in this water for about ten minutes, after which it is considered ready. Now you know how to cook frozen peeled squid.
Another way to cook
Many people like fried squid fillets. Just keep in mind that immediately before you start frying them, squid is boiled in one of the above ways. Then cut into thin strips and dip in a mixture of beaten eggs with sour cream, spices and salt. Then they are rolled in breadcrumbs and fried for about five minutes in butter or vegetable oil.
By the way, fried squid can be cooked in batter. To do this, they also need to be boiled, and then cut, dipped in batter and cook in large quantities of vegetable oil over high heat. In this case, fried squid can be one of your favorite dishes.
Grilled squids
You can cook these shellfish on the grill. For example, grilled squid tentacles are very tasty . The recipe for this dish is quite simple, so even a novice hostess can cope with it. Everything is done quickly, just do not forget about the marinade, which is able to give these seafood a special, unique taste.
For this dish we need:
- 350 grams of squid tentacles;
- 3 tablespoons of sauce;
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil;
- half a teaspoon of turmeric;
- lemon juice.
Wash the squid tentacles thoroughly and dry with paper towels. After, add freshly squeezed lemon juice. For this, one half of a lemon is enough. We also water the clams with soy sauce, turmeric and oil. Mix everything and leave to marinate for about 20 minutes.
We will prepare the tentacles on the grill. Therefore, pre-stock coal and barbecue. Lubricate the special grill pan with a thin layer of oil and spread the squid tentacles on it. During cooking, they will need to be turned several times, approximately every half minute.
Ready squid tentacles will become an original dish for a spring picnic in nature.
Sea Salad
Shellfish, which this article is devoted to, are the basis of several popular salads. For example, sea salad. To cook it, you will need to have such components on hand:
- 4 carcasses of freshly frozen or canned squid;
- 400 grams of freshly frozen shrimp;
- 10 quail eggs;
- 100 grams of red caviar;
- mayonnaise - to taste;
- fillet of red fish and lettuce we need for decoration.
For "Sea" salad with calamari, you can use both freshly frozen and canned clams. Canned can significantly reduce the time you spend on cooking this dish, as they are actually ready to eat. But freshly squid has yet to go through the processing process. To free them from the film, you will need to pour boiling water. She will quickly curl up and clean the mollusk is not difficult. We also remove all the insides, be sure to cut off the fins.
After that, put the squid in boiling salted water, cook them for no more than four minutes, otherwise we risk digesting them.
When this stage is behind, you can take on shrimp. Pour them into a colander and wash under running water. Be sure to melt the ice in which they were while they were in the bag.
The water in the pan should be at the rate of two and a half liters per kilogram of shrimp. Seasonings (bay leaf, a few slices of lemon, a mixture of peppers) can be added to boiling salted water. In this case, the shrimp will be even more aromatic and tastier. After boiling, cook them for about three minutes, then carefully decant the water and clear the shrimp from the shell. Having made an incision along the entire length of the body, get the intestinal vein. An unpleasant aftertaste may appear due to it.
Boil a dozen quail eggs, if they were not at hand, you can replace them with chicken, boiling only five pieces. Now it remains only to decorate and decorate our salad. Put a lettuce leaf on a flat plate, fill it with the prepared mixture, gently pressing so that it does not break up. Salad can be served on the table.
Stuffed squid
Many people prefer to stuff squids, filling them with a wide variety of fillings. For example, rice and mushrooms. It turns out a very unusual and memorable taste that will captivate all your guests, without exception.
To cook squid stuffed with mushrooms and rice in the oven, take the following ingredients:
- 9 tablespoons of rice;
- 1 carrot;
- 400 grams of champignons;
- 5 medium sized squids;
- 100 ml of milk;
- 3 tablespoons of flour;
- 50 grams of cheese;
- 200 ml cream;
- half a lemon.
Pre-boil rice in salted water for about a quarter of an hour. Finely chop the remaining ingredients - carrots, onions and mushrooms. Fry them in a skillet in vegetable oil until cooked. After that, add boiled rice to them and mix thoroughly.
Purified squids should be lowered into boiling water for only two minutes. Then wash them thoroughly and remove all the films.
For this dish, it is recommended to separately prepare homemade sauce. Melt the butter in a pan, mix it with flour and fry a little. Add milk to this mixture and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Cheese should be grated and added to the sauce along with cream. Finally squeeze the juice out of half a lemon.
We fill each squid with minced meat and bake in the oven at a temperature of 180 degrees for half an hour.
Braised squid
Braised squid is a favorite dish for many seafood fans. It’s not difficult to prepare them, but we need this:
- 4 carcasses of squid;
- 300 grams of champignons;
- 1 onion;
- 50 grams of butter;
- 200 ml cream;
- 1 tablespoon of wheat flour;
- salt, bay leaf, pepper - to taste.
Squids need to be thawed and cleaned. To do this, put them in a deep plate and pour boiling water directly from the kettle for a couple of minutes. Most of the films begin to depart right before our eyes; it is not difficult to remove them. After that, squids can be considered prepared, and you can take on the dish itself. Cut the clams into thin strips.
Finely chop the onion, sauté in a pan, adding mushrooms, as well as ground black pepper and salt to taste.
At the same time, heat the butter, in which we spread the squid straws. Stew them over low heat for three to four minutes, then pepper and salt again. After adding mushrooms, continue to stew the dish, and then pour the flour. Its quantity depends on how thick the sauce you want to get as a result. For the average consistency, one tablespoon will be enough, but if you want it to be thicker, you can add more flour. Mix everything thoroughly.
For stewed squid in a creamy sauce, pour the preheated cream and mix again. If necessary, add salt, a few leaves of parsley and black pepper. We simmer for about five minutes, and then turn off the heat and serve the dishes on the table. Do not get carried away by heat treatment of squids, otherwise they can become hard and tasteless.
Squid in sour cream
A delicious and simple recipe for squid in sour cream is guaranteed to please your family and friends. To prepare it, you will need:
- 5 peeled squid carcasses;
- 2 tablespoons of sour cream;
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander;
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander;
- half a teaspoon of black pepper;
- 2 teaspoons ground dried garlic;
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil;
- parsley greens.
Rinse thawed squid carcasses with cold water and cut into small strips. Put the clams in a bowl, adding pepper, salt and ground and whole coriander to them. If desired, balsamic sauce. Mix everything thoroughly.
Heat oil in a frying pan and put the prepared squids there. They are cooked on high heat without a lid so that the liquid evaporates as much as possible. Then they need to be mixed and covered, while reducing the fire to a minimum.
Add sour cream to the fried squids, wait again until all the liquid that was in the sour cream is evaporated. At the very end, sprinkle everything with garlic and parsley, simmer in a pan for a couple more minutes.
Chinese squid
Interestingly, there is a recipe for squid in Chinese cuisine. To bring it to life, you need the following ingredients:
- 1 kilogram of squid;
- 2 onions;
- 4 cloves of garlic;
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce;
- 2 teaspoons of sugar;
- vegetable oil, which is required for frying;
- ground black pepper and salt to taste.
Defrost mollusks if necessary, and then carefully and carefully clean them from skins and viscera. To do this, we lower it in boiling water for a couple of minutes, and taking it out, let the water drain to the maximum.
At this time, we take up the remaining products. We clean the garlic and onions, and cut the onions in half rings. When the peeled squids have cooled, they need to be cut into thin strips or rings, as you like.
Fry the onion in a pan when it becomes golden, add the squid to it. Mix and wait just one minute.
Pour sugar, mix again, add salt, soy sauce and black pepper. Mix thoroughly again. All ingredients must be soaked with each other. Fry for a couple of minutes and quickly remove from the stove. Squeeze the garlic into squid, transfer to a salad bowl and serve. Before this, the dish can be decorated with greens.
You will get very delicious squid in Chinese, which will appeal to all guests.