Glossary - Ingredients

Squid / Ika

Low-fat, high-protein seafood, light-flavored and versatile for any dish

What are squid?

Squid / Ika (いか in Japanese) are invertebrates with no backbone that live in the sea and have 10 tentacles. They can be eaten raw, boiled, grilled, stir-fried, or deep-fried, and are used in a variety of Japanese, Western, and Chinese dishes. As an ingredient, they are divided by fins, body, cartilage, and tentacles, and all parts of the squid can be eaten except for the transparent plastic-like carapace, beak, and eyes. The innards can also be stir-fried with other parts or made into shiokara. Shiokara is a traditional food made by salting the flesh and innards of squid, fermenting, and aging them. In Japan, the most commonly eaten squids are the Japanese flying squid, which is caught from spring to late autumn, the spear squid, which is caught from winter to early summer, and the firefly squid, which is in season in spring.

Shiokara squid

Nutrition facts

Squid is high in protein and low in fat, making it an excellent food for maintaining muscle and weight management. It is also rich in vitamin B12, which is essential for preventing anemia and maintaining nerve function, and vitamin E, which prevents the oxidation of lipids in the body. Squid also contains zinc, which contributes to maintaining healthy blood and improving immune function. It also contains a lot of selenium, which has a strong antioxidant effect and is involved in the metabolism of thyroid hormones.
Squid is rich in taurine, which helps regulate blood pressure, support liver function, and recover from fatigue. It also contains DHA and EPA, omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for preventing blood clots and brain health. Although squid contains a lot of cholesterol, it is thought to be a food that can actually reduce cholesterol due to its richness in taurine and DHA, which have cholesterol-lowering properties.

Storage to prevent food loss

After peeling and removing the innards, store squid in the refrigerator and use as soon as possible. Remove the guts, bones, beak and skin, wash thoroughly, wipe off the water, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 2-3 weeks.

Trivia

Fresh squid has a shiny reddish brown body, firm and plump flesh with suction cups still attached. Also, please note that it is important that the eyes appear black and clear, not cloudy.

Cooking Basics

Squid - clean and prepare

1. Pull off the tentacles

Taking care not to tear the innards, pull the tentacles and innards away from the body.

2. Remove the quill (cuttlebone)

Pull out the quill or cuttlebone (thin, clear sliver of cartilage) inside of the body. Remove any remaining innards inside of the body by scraping with a knife, then rinse with water and dry off.

3. Remove the wings (ears)

Place your fingers into the wings (or ears) and part attached to the body, from here pull the wings off of the body.

4. Peel off the skin

Starting where you removed the wings, peel off the skin by peeling around and off sideways as opposed to lengthwise. If you use a dry paper towel to grab onto the skin it will not slip in your fingers and peeling off will be easier.

5. Cut open the body

When cutting into rings is not required, cut open the body. To do so, fold over at the part where the wings were attached, lay your knife down sideways inside of the fold and slice open.

6. Prepare the tentacles

Place your knife blade just below the eyes and cut away the tentacles and innards. Place your knife into the cylindrical part and spread the tentacles, remove the hard beak and eyes. Scrape off small suction cups with your knife blade and cut away large ones.