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- Take the squid head in one hand and the squid body in another hand. Gently tug it apart to separate the squid head from the body tube.
- It should separate easily if the squid is fresh. You can also insert a finger into the body tube to loosen it a little. The squid head and innards should remain intact.
- Take up the squid head and locate the ink sac which looks like a large blackish vein. Carefully pinch the whitish membrane at the top of the ink sac without breaking it, and pull it apart from the squid head to remove it. Set it aside for later use in any recipe that requires squid ink!
- Next remove the whitish jelly-like innards located just below where the ink sac was located, and discard. This part of the innards includes a small organ that typically containing lots of dirt and grit. If you do not remove the innards, the squid will taste very gritty and sandy.
- Turn the squid head over so you can see the bottom of the tentacles. Right in the middle of the tentacles you will see the hard beak or mouth of the squid. With one hand, press firmly at the base of the beak to push it out, while pulling it out with the other hand.
- To remove the eyes, use a sharp knife to cut directly across the eyes. Be careful not to squeeze or apply pressure while cutting, otherwise the pressure will cause the eye liquid to shoot out and make a huge mess!
- Once the slits in the eyes have been made, apply light pressure to squeeze out the eye jelly and discard.
- Now take up the squid body and remove the cuttle bone that looks like a shard of glass.
- It is quite common for people remove the purple membrane that covers the squid because it looks nicer, but its not a must. The membrane should peel off easily.
- Next, use a chopstick or spoon to remove any remnant innards from inside the tube body. Now just give the squid head and body a quick rinse and you are done!
Congratulations, you made it to the end of the tutorial! Now if you are game, why not try out our Basque Country -inspired Warm Squid and Potato Salad recipe?
If you enjoyed this tutorial on How to Clean Squid, do check out our growing collection of How To Tutorials!
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