Species
Squid, Calamari & Cuttlefish
Description
Available wild-caught, these marine cephalopods have thick, dark browny-green bodies with long side fins running almost their full length, 8 shorter arms and 2 longer tentacles. They are commonly found in nearshore coastal waters around Australia’s northern coast from northern NSW to south of Shark Bay in WA; they also occur on offshore reefs to at least 100m. .
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 are also a bycatch of Prawn trawling and inshore net fisheries off northern Australia.
‘Calamari’ is the Italian word for ‘Squids’, but it also refers to those species of squids whose side fins run the full length of their bodies as opposed to those with relatively shorter side fins.
Other Names
Calamari, Calamary, Squid, Tiger Squid.
Family
Loliginidae (Calamaries, inshore Squid).
Season
Available year round with peak supplies from Queensland during winter.
Size and Weight
Average 500g-1kg and 20-30cm mantle length, but can grow to almost 2kg and 42cm.
Price
Medium priced.
Relations
Californian Squid, Loligo Squid, Luminous Bay Squid, Southern 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, Squid, Cuttlefish and, in some recipes, Octopus.
Imports
Various species of Calamari are imported whole, as frozen tubes and pre-sliced rings.
Recipes
Crumbed Squid Rings
Squid & Apple Salad
Squid & Fennel Bruschetta
Stir-Fried Squid with Black Beans, Bok Choy & Noodles
Warm Asian Salad of Squid
Mixed Seafood Dishes
Bouillabaisse
Linguine ai Frutti di Mare
Seafood Teppanyaki
Vietnamese-style Stuffed Squid with Asian Slaw