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Just take your block-o-squid out of the package and park it in a clean, water-tight container. I like to hold it down with a nice piece of plastic coated chain. There. Now put that underneath a very, very, tiny stream of cold water. There. Believe it or not that will be enough to keep convection moving inside that water and that's going to thaw the squid in about an hour. |
Speed Thaw Gives You Ready To Use Squid in 1 Hour |
Depending on their size, squid are processed to different levels of culinary readiness. But before we get to slicing, let's take a look at some anatomy, shall we? [peering through a magnifying glass at some small squid] Here we have ... the ... uhhh. I can't see a thing on this stuff. [moves tray over to reveal a large squid] Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh. Now that's a squid.
Here we have the tube. This is the main body of the squid. He's got some kind of rudder fins down there to steer him along. This contains all of the internal organs that the squid's got as well as his only true bone, a kind of feather-like thing called a pin bone which provides the only support except, of course, for the water that he's floating in. Moving on up we come to the head. This is where he does all of his big thinking. He's got two eyes, of course. And just as we have hair, he's got tentacles, 10 of them. And if you pull those back you'll find his mouth. There it is. The beak. That was the thing that almost took Captain Nemo's head clean off. |
Tube Pinbone/Quill Head Tentacles Beak |
For fresh squid, look for firm, white flesh,
head and tentacles intact, and a clean smell.
Now with the Nautilus out of harm, we can get back to common culinary sizes of which there are generally two: small calamari and 10/20 calamari and they are called that because you generally get 10 to 20 pieces per pound. Now I like this size best. Why? Well, look at the proportions. The head and tentacles are exactly the same on these. But look at the tube size. You get a lot more meat out of these. And because of that you don't have to do so much work when it comes to cutting. So, I'm going to get rid of this [smaller] guy entirely. |
Small Calamari |
Generally, the head is still attached to the tubes. Just reach up and
pull [out] gently and it'll come right out. Now as far as getting the tentacle
portion or the head portion ready, just come up from where the tentacles are until you feel something kind of hard. Then just grab your knife
and slice. We get rid of that [head] part and there is the tentacle portion.
Some folks don't like it. I know I do.
Now as far as prepping the body or tube the first thing is to remove these two rudder fins. They are
extremely chewy. Then you've got this thing that looks kind of like, well you know, one of those things the pope wears. Just take a very, very
thin blade, slide right in there until you get all the way up to the top and then just slice her open. When you get it open you'll notice there's
kind of a membrane there. We want to get rid of that. So just take the blade of your knife and scrape. It'll come right off. Kind of scrape at an
angle. There you go. And that's going to leave very, very clean meat. So what I like to do is take a utility knife and set it—a clean one of
course—set it for the shallowest blade setting I can get and then just make little cross-cuts, cross-hatches across the squid, that way and this
way. Now with the connective tissue all broken up like that, when it cooks it's not going to curl up on itself like a drinking straw. And the
little grooves will also help hold on to some juice.
The last thing is to cut this into quarters. Those are nice bite-size pieces. |
A Squid is 80% edible. |
C: So, how long will they keep?
AB: Well, in the bottom-back of your refrigerator in the meat drawer I give them 2 to 3 days top. You might be able to eke out an extra day in a properly packed cooler, though.
N: There's more than one way to pack a cooler?
AB: You don't do a lot of tailgating, do you Ned? Observe. [breaks open a cooler sideways to reveal the cross-section] Ahh. Here we have a proper cold stack. Notice everything is in firmly-sealing containers stacked in order of use from first to last.
C: Ah, the miracle of mise en place*.
N: Meez-in-where?
C: I'll tell you later. Go ahead, Mr. Brown. We wouldn't want to interrupt
your story.
AB: Thanks, Chuck. Now I hate to see raw food and cooked food integrated in the same cooler. But if that's what you've got to do, make sure that you put the raw food on the bottom and the cooked food on the top so that you reduce the chances for cross-contamination, okay? Now on top of everything we're going to put a thin tea towel and then distribute cold packs all across the top. |
Cooked Food On Top |
N: No ice?
AB: Nope. Ice is only for drinks.
C: Too much danger of aqueous migration.
N: [stares]
C: Leakage. Isn't that it, Mr. Brown?
AB: That is it. Of course the reason that we put the cold packs on top is because the [cold] air, of course, sinks. But I must stress this device is not
here to make food cold. It will only keep it cold, so make sure everything is thoroughly refrigerated before you do the pack.
C: Great. I got it. I'm going to go look for Patty.
AB: Oh, wait, wait, wait. No, no, no, no, no. She's fine. Hold on. I want to show you something else. You know move people don't realize that you can also turn a cooler into, aaaah, a food warmer. [opens up another similar cooler] All you have to do is you get yourself a couple of bricks, wrap them in heavy duty aluminum foil, park them in a 500 degree oven for half an hour. These you place on top of a towel—thick, old one preferably—in the bottom of the cooler. Then over that you put another towel that's been moistened with hot water. |
Wrap Bricks In Heavy Duty Foil |
N: What for?
C: Increased conduction.
AB: Again, the pack is the same in order of use from top to bottom, all of the containers tightly sealing. But here's the thing. Of course heat rises, right? That's why we've got the hot bricks in the bottom. But then every time you open the lid you let the hot air out. So, we're going to put another towel on top to act as insulation. That way when you open the lid and go around hunting for something, you're not going to let all the heat out. But of course you aren't going to have to look around much because you, cleverly, made a cooler schematic.
C & N: [burst out in laughter]
C: Ooooh, Mr. Brown. You are some funny.
AB: Yeah. Yeah. Just a little joke I ... I ... is that Patty? You better go look for her.
Fisherman often place high wattage lights
on the surface of the water to lure squid.
C: [on walkie-talkie] Patty? Patty Cake? This is ... [looks around, then quietly] ... Chucky? Come in?
C: Oh, Mr. Brown. I'm really worried. She's been gone way too long.
AB: Yeah?
C: I better go look for her ... Whoa! Say. What's with the wok?
AB: Well, the wok's kind of the ideal squid-cooking vessel, Chuck. And it's also really great for tailgating.
C: What makes it so special?
AB: Well, two things. For one, the metal. The very best woks which are also some of the cheapest, are actually made out of a high carbon steel and it's an excellent heat conductor. But the real secret's the shape. This bowl shape means that no matter what you have in it pools down to the bottom which is closest to the fire so you can cook large amounts, you can cook small amounts, doesn't matter. Oh, did I mention stir frying? Because this is the stir frying pan.
C: You know, I tried that once but it really didn't taste, um, right.
AB: Well, you probably didn't have any wok hey.
C: Oh, where can I get some?
AB: Um, no. It's, it's a word. It's a Chinese term that means the flavor of the wok.
C: Okay, but where can I get some?
AB: Oh, well, there's only one way to get wok hey and that's heat, lots of heat.
D: I found Patty's camera but no Patty.
C: You don't think ...
AB: Oh, don't worry, Chuck. I'm positive she did not get taken up by giant squid-man.
C: How do you know that?
AB: Well, because I saw her walking with Aqua Man just down the beach. [laughs]
N: [to Chuck] His lack of faith disturbs me. Hey, what's that?
AB: Gentleman, why can't you get wok hey at home?
N: Wok what?
C: It's the flavor of the wok. Come on.
AB: You can't get wok hey at home because the average home range burner doesn't have enough oomph to get a wok really, really hot. This does, just an outdoor burner from a turkey fryer setup. I think this is going to revolutionize tailgating.
C: Yeah, this is all great. But shouldn't we look for Patty?
AB: Let the aroma of our stir fry lead her home.
N: Do you need this [fire extinguisher]?
AB: Oh, I hope not. But if you're going to play with fire, you've got to be protected. Are we clear on this?
C & N: Crystal.
AB: Okay, good. Now this is the procedure for lighting this bad boy. |
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AB: A stir fry is not so much a recipe as it is a procedure. That means there's an order to things which is ...
N: [tries to interrupt]
AB: ... this is important ... there's an order to things and you've got to stick with that order if you're really going to have a stir fry. Now a stir fry is also a lot like a, um, a chain reaction. It happens very ...
N: [tries to interrupt]
AB: ... just a second ... it happens very, very quickly. And once it starts there isn't any stopping it. It's like a roller coaster. You get in the car, the bar comes down, you pull out of the station. You're committed. That is ...
N: [tries to interrupt]
AB: ... just a second ... that is what stir frying is. You are committed. This means that we must be fully prepared. All the ingredients must be laid out, pre-chopped, pre-sliced, pre-measured, ready to go. Even your serving pieces had better be in place because once this starts ...
N: [tries to interrupt]
AB: ... what!?
N: Um, shouldn't we put something in it? Some oil or something?
AB: Ned, one of the major tenets of stir frying is the wok must heat alone.
C: I think it's starting to glow.
N: Cool.
AB: Indeed. I would say that we're ready to cook a little thing I call Squid Vicious.
[AB cooks while C & N watch] |
2 tsp. Sesame Oil 1 tsp. Garlic 1/2 pound Prepped Squid |
AB: Don't be afraid, fellows.
AB: Onions. Peppers. |
1/3 cup Diced Onion 1/3 cup Red Bell Pepper 1/4 cup Oyster Mushrooms, Cut into Strips |
AB: A little stir. Stir fry..
C & N: [laughs with oohs]
AB: A little toss. Girls love that. See, you got a lot of nice color there. Now we go with a little sauce. This will thicken up as it cooks because it's got corn starch in it. Smell that? You're not going to get that from anything but a wok. And now it's dinner time. |
1 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar |
Squid is very low in fat but high in protein.
GUESTS: Ronco
Giant Squid-Man
C: Mmm. So, Mr. B., can that thing do any other squid tricks?
AB: Of course. You could deep fry calamari in there or you could make squid soup or you can stuff them whole and braise them in there.
N: I thought long cooking made squid tough.
AB: Actually, Ned, it's more like a bell curve. You see, they start out very tender if you cook them fast and hot and then they start to get tough the longer you cook then. But if you stick with it and keep the heat under a simmer, they'll get tender again. |
5-6 minutes = Tough 1-3 minutes = Over 10 = |
C: So are you going to make some now?
AB: No, I think I'll wait for the next show.
N: Well if you're not going to cook anymore, why did you leave the wok on the fire?
AB: Ah, one of my favorite things about stir frying, Ned, clean up. Just replace your wok onto high heat and hit it with some water. Just let that boil for a second, slosh it around a couple of times, and throw out the muck. Clean as a whistle.
C: Hmm.
N: Dude. You wok!
AB: Thank you, Ned, I think.
C: You know, I sure am sorry Patty's not here. She wasn't too keen on eating squid and she probably just would have ruined it for me.
AB: Better off without her.
N: She's immortal now. Gone down to the squid man's undersea palace built from the bones of countless sunken vessels and filled to the gunnels with glimmering treasure.
P: Hi, boys. Any luck?
C: Patty Cake? Oh, woowoooo.
P: This is Rrrrronco. He saved me.
RONCO: She fell from the ...
P: ... the, the, levy.
R: ... and my boat was nearby.
P: What luck. Heh.
N: Did you see him?
P: Who?
N: Him! Giant squid-man.
P: Oh, that's just a silly old legend.
C: How come your shoes are dry then?
P: Food. I'm famished.
C: [glares at Ronco]
R: [to Chuck] I have a case of crabs to deliver. [leaves]
C: Something's fishy.
AB: I thought you said you didn't eat squid.
P: Well, oh, it's so good.
C: Excuse me, Mr. B. I need to talk to Patty.
AB: Oh. Of course. Um, you kids, you kids take all of the time you need.
We'll recap what we learned today. Let's see. We learned that squid are low fat, they are very high in protein, they're affordable, they're plentiful, they're versatile and they're very quick cooking. All of which means they are like the perfect food for any tailgatable event. We also learned that a 12 to 16 inch steel wok is the Swiss Army knife of the cookware world which means it's also perfect for tailgating. Did we learn anything else? Yeah!
AB: We learned that there's no such thing as a giant squid-man.
N: [scared and pointing behind Alton] Yes there is!
AB: No, Ned. There's not. Now, please. Lose the pathetic hat and get yourself a life. You know, P. T. Barnum wrote that there's a sucker born every ... [turns around to a huge squid tentacle] ... minute.
SQUID MAN: Aarrrgggrrrr!
AB: [looks up at SM] Oh, bother.
SM: [grabs AB with tentacle]
AB: Hey. Hey. What! No! Down! No! Down! Hey! Down! That's it!
SM: Aarrrgggrrrr! [carries AB away]
P: I guess he wasn't looking for a bride after all.
C: I guess giant squid-man is just like us. All he wants is some good eats.
N: Ooh. [faints]
Proof Reading Help from Sue Libretti
*mise en place: French for "put in its place", i.e. everything is in the right place
Taxonomy of cuttlefish and squid from the Animal Diversity Web
Taxonomy |
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Domain | Eukaryote | Eukaryote | Eukaryote |
Kingdom | Animalia | Animalia | Animalia |
Phylum | Mollusca | Mollusca | Mollusca |
Class | Cephalopoda | Cephalopoda | Cephalopoda |
Order | Sepiida | Teuthoida | Teuthida |
Suborder | ---- | ---- | Myopsina |
Family | Sepiidae | Architeuthidae | Loliginidae |
Genus | Sepia | Architeuthis | Loligo |
Species | Sepia apama | Architeuthis harveyi | Loligo opalescens |
Last Edited on 08/27/2010