Southern Calamari
Other Names
Calamari, calamary, grass squid, squid.
Family
Loliginidae (calamaries, inshore squids).
Description, Location, Habitat and Harvesting Information
Available wild-caught, these marine cephalopods have mottled purpley-brown skin with long, rounded side fins running almost the full length of their body, 8 shorter arms and 2 longer tentacles. They are found inshore to depths of less than 100m, commonly in coastal bays and inlets around southern Australia from Brisbane to Shark Bay, WA. Most of the commercial catch comes from SA. They tend to gather near the seabed during the day and spread out at night throughout the water, coming to the surface to feed. They are mainly caught by jigging (using lights to attract them to the water’s surface at night), but also as bycatch in tunnel nets, trawling, inshore haul nets and beach seines.
Season
Available year round.
Size and Weight
Average 150g and 16cm mantle length, but can grow to almost 4kg and 55cm.
Price
Medium priced.
Relations
Asian Squid, Californian Squid, Loligo Squid, Northern Calamari.
To Buy
When purchasing fresh whole Calamari look for intact bright skin, with a light brown to purple mottled appearance, intact head, arms and tentacles and a pleasant fresh sea smell. Cleaned tubes should be white without any brown markings.
To Store
Make sure Calamari is gutted and cleaned thoroughly. Wrap in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months below -18ºC.
To Cook
To clean whole Calamari: grasp the arms and pull firmly to separate head from tube (try not to break the ink sac, as the ink stains), cut below the eyes and discard head and guts, push beak (mouth) out from between the arms. Remove quill, peel skin off by grasping side fins and peeling around the tube. Side fins can be peeled and used; arms and tentacles can also be washed and used. If cutting tube into rings, wash inside well to remove any remaining gut, otherwise, cut tube open along the obvious seam, lay out flat and wipe the inside clean with a clean cloth. Slice into strips, or score in a hatch pattern (called ‘honeycombing’) and slice into larger chunks. It is also possible to cook Calamari without peeling it, the skin will turn a dark purple as it cooks. Average yield is 80%. It has a mild, subtle flavour, low-medium oiliness, and is dry with firm texture, which can be tough if poorly prepared, though it is often more tender than most Squids. The flesh is translucent when raw and white when cooked.
Cooking Methods
Steam, poach, deep-fry, pan-fry, stir-fry, bake, braise, grill, barbecue, raw (sashimi). To be tender, Calamari must be cooked very quickly over high heat or very slowly over low heat. The flesh of the mantle, fins, arms and tentacles is suitable for a wide variety of preparations, whole tubes can be stuffed and baked, strips or rings can be dusted in seasoned flour and deep-fried or marinated and char-grilled or stir-fried. The ink can be used to flavour and colour risotto or pasta (though Cuttlefish ink is traditionally used).
Goes Well With
Black beans, capers, capsicum, chilli, fresh herbs, garlic, ginger, green onions, lemongrass, lemon, lime, mushrooms, olive oil, olives, potato, salad leaves, soy sauce, tomato.
Alternatives
Other Calamari, Squids, Cuttlefish and, in some recipes, Octopus.
Imports
Various species of Calamari are imported whole, as frozen tubes and pre-sliced rings.
Recipes