More recently, seafood such as shrimp, mussels and squid were new to most Russians. Now all this can be purchased at any supermarket. Today we will talk about how to clean and cook squid and how to make a delicious salad out of them.
Beneficial features
Squid meat is not just a delicacy, but a very valuable product. It contains trace elements and substances necessary for the normal functioning of all body systems.
The main value of squid is the presence of sodium, iodine and potassium in its composition. These minerals are responsible for the normal state of the thyroid gland.
Squid contains protein, which is easily absorbed by the body, saturating it with energy. It also has many amino acids that improve vision and metabolic processes.
The above properties are manifested only when eating freshly prepared squids. Dried and smoked carcasses bring less benefit to the body.
Squid selection rules
Go to the store. A wide assortment of squids is presented in the relevant department: peeled, frozen, unprocessed and so on. What to choose? Ideal - freshly caught squids. But this is real only in cities located near the ocean. Therefore, you can do with a frozen product.
Before you make a purchase, you must carefully inspect the goods. The color of the squid carcass varies from white to pinkish-purple. The presence of a yellow hue indicates that the product was frozen and thawed several times. It is better to refuse to buy such squids. To cook a delicious dish out of them will not work.
Cleaning
About how to cook frozen squids, we will talk a little later. In the meantime, we will deal with their processing. First you need to defrost the product. We submerge the package with the contents in a deep container filled with warm water. Defrosting can last from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. Many housewives fill the squid with hot water to speed up the process. But this should never be done. After all, then the product will go bad.
When the squids finally thaw, you can begin to remove the film from them. In fact, she herself must move away. Just put the carcasses in a bowl, pour boiling water and immediately drain it. Then under the tap water we remove the thin film with our fingers. We remove the insides resembling strips of plastic.
How to cook squid
The opinions of the culinary experts on this score diverge. Some believe that you need to cook squid meat for 10-15 minutes, setting a slow fire. Others are confident that this process should take several seconds. So all the same - how to cook? Soft squids are obtained by cooking for 30 minutes. They are significantly reduced in size. The carcasses are cut into rings, fried and served with a side dish.
How to cook squid? Ideally, this process looks like this:
- 1 liter of water is poured into a small pan;
- add 1 tsp. salts;
- wait for the moment of boiling;
- at will put lavrushka and peas of pepper;
- the squid carcass is placed in boiling water, count to 10 and get it;
- spread on a dish, do the same with other carcasses.
Other options
Squid is not only cooked in a pan. Modern housewives can choose a more convenient option. Home appliances come to the rescue.
How to cook squid in a double boiler
We put the carcass into a special container by setting a timer. Steaming squid cooking time is 10-12 minutes. It all depends on the technical characteristics of the device.
How to cook squid in a slow cooker
Select the mode of "Steaming". We set the timer for 5-10 minutes. The only minus for boiling squids is the lack of broth. But it can be prepared separately using a small pan. Or serve boiled carcasses with fish sauce. Act on your own.
How to cook squid in the microwave
We need a heat resistant container. We spread peeled and washed carcasses into it, pour it with lemon juice and close the lid. The cooking time for squid in a microwave with a capacity of 700-850 watts is 2 minutes. The end of the process will be notified by a sound signal.
Squid salad (classic recipe)
Grocery set:
- two onions;
- ½ jars of green peas;
- 300 g squid;
- one tomato;
- olives - 14 pieces;
- medium bell pepper;
- spices (dill seeds, dried fennel).
For refueling:
- half a lemon;
- 125 g of natural yogurt;
- 1 tsp mustard;
- 4 tbsp. l olive oil.
For marinade:
- 1 tbsp. l sugar and salt;
- sprig of dill;
- 5 tbsp. l apple cider vinegar.
Cooking:
1. Peel the onion, cut into half rings and place in a glass jar. Do not close the lid yet. There we send chopped green onions. We make a marinade. To do this, in a glass of boiled water, mix sugar, vinegar and salt. Pour the onion with the resulting marinade. Close the jar with a plastic lid. Shake well. We clean in the refrigerator for half an hour.
2. We clean the squid carcasses. We have already talked about this above. How to cook squid on a salad? Pour water into the pan and wait until it begins to boil. Salt and add dried herbs and spices. Put the squid in the water. Cook for 12-15 minutes with the lid closed. Then we throw the carcasses into a colander. We wait until they cool.
3. Rinse the tomatoes. Cut them into cubes. We send to the salad bowl.
4. We proceed to the processing of bell pepper. We remove the seeds. Cut the pulp into cubes and add to the tomatoes.
5. Open a jar of green peas. Drain the liquid. Exactly half the contents of the cans are laid out in a salad bowl.
6. Squid carcasses cut into strips. We send to a plate to other ingredients.
7. Our onions are pickled. It is necessary to drain the liquid and squeeze out the pieces well. Then add the onion to the salad bowl.
8. Open a jar of olives. It is advisable that they be pitted. Whole olives are sent to the salad.
9. We make refueling. Pour yogurt into a bowl. Add olive oil and mustard. Grind the lemon zest and put it into the dressing. Mix the ingredients thoroughly.
10. Add dressing to the salad bowl. It remains to mix the dish and serve it on the table. Enjoy your meal!
Storage rules
You already know how to cook squid for salad. But what if after cooking a few carcasses left? You can put them in the refrigerator. At a temperature of +6 ... +8 0 C they are stored for no more than a day. If in the near future you are not going to eat squid meat, then it is better to put them in the freezer. There they can be a month or more.
Afterword
We talked about how to cook squid. This process does not take much time. The main thing is to follow the instructions described in the article. As a result, you will get a tasty and healthy salad. You can experiment by creating new dishes with boiled squid.