Squids/ calamari

[Karletto]

another thread where u can't use a spear gun

Squids are fast, swim close to the bottom only, can change color and press black liquid in order to disorient -> cover the bucket. Squids are hunted by pulling jigs long/ fast up and down movements from coast or boat + during whole year except summer. In my experience heavy and bright color jigs are the best. If u want more tips send PM. Recipe is similar to frying smelts recipe.

Pull its head and the bone out; calamari don't have the big bone; from the head -> only arms are eatable/ soft
Wash the squid with a lot of water in all pockets/ squeeze out
With fingers inspect if all hard parts are removed (if not clean it again)
Cut in pieces (usually round) and roll in flour
Heat the oil in a pan till it almost boils -> check the temperature of the oil with dropping a small amount of flour in the oil -> it should begin to fry excately when it falls in the oil
Fry till gold color
Use paper towel for excess oil
Add salt

Serve with half a lemon, maionese and bread; the decoration can be a piece of parsley; drink sweet/ dry or semi-sweet white wine
Bon appetite

[Karletto]

squids are shorter and more oval than calamari and have different dark colors like brown, black, gray, yellow; calamari are pink almost white color; on the back are both white;
calamari don't have the bone and have longer arms

[Karletto]

Filled calamari ->

Wash and clean calamari like described above.
Leave the body intact but cut arms in pieces.
The filling consists of: parsley, garlic, pieces of tomatoes, salt, popper, pieces of cheese that melts on the heat -> mozzarella and arms that u cutted.
Fill the body with mixed filling
Use a tooth-pick in order to prevent the filling to exit the body -> cut through 1 part and come back through the other part ( 2 holes -> 4 its rounded)

Cook in the microwave foooor 8min (?). Inspect by tasting/ cutting.

[MSilvia]

I worked on a squid trawler for a summer after college, and there are two varieties of squid I'm personally familiar with... Illex and Loligo. Others, like the Humboldt squid, aren't native to my area, so I don't know much about them. Calamari, as far as I know, is the name of the food, not a species.

At night, especially when there is substantial moonlight, squid come to the surface to feed, so they aren't always near the bottom. Still, that's where to find them during the day. Fishing a fathom off the bottom, we'd fill a trawl net with as much as 15-50,000 pounds of squid several times a day.

[Lj82]

If any of you have the chance to come to Singapore/Malaysia region,
go to one of the many bbq stalls and order sambal sotong, which is bbq sotong in red hot chilli paste.

Taste great if you can take spicy stuffs.

[Karletto]

where are squids there are also calamari; i usually use the fishing rod with a jig attached; of course longer rod means longer throw (-> more chance to catch it!); learn fishing knots a bit or u'll loose the jig!

in my experience heavy/ bright jigs are the best; the only problem with cheap Chinese jigs is the weight -> simply too light; in this case help yourself with some extra weight; in case of color help yourself with thin white rope -> roll it around the jig (of course end with a knot); modern jigs have a light in it in order to attract squids/ calamari (probably the color thing that u can illuminate with light).

the time to hunt is
- whole year except summer
- moonlight
- early morning or late evening
- night but only in case of minimum depths with lights
- after/ before bad weather (?)

street lights on the coast help to attract squids/ calamari

the trick is this:
throw the jig as long as possible; wait till the jig reaches the ground; start rolling your reel in order to prevent the jig to catch the ground; every 5sec stop rolling and immediately pull on the side as fast + long as possible; the feeling is -> it becomes heavier at the moment u pulled; the idea is that the jig represents a fish witch escapes (the squid will reach for the bate with its arms etc)
if the jig catches itself in the rock, help yourself with changing position on the peer (first let go the fishing string) and pull in different directions; if u loose the jig, be sure that you are first to found it in the spring; if not there are plenty for u in rocks

from a boat the pulling trick is the same like from the coast -> fast + long pulls

of course squids are hunted with a harpoon too

[mrbheagney]

I catch them from underneath the boat with the jig. So tasty, they have also jumped into the boat before when trying to escape from predators. Clean, Slice, Salt, Pepper, Chill Flakes and Flash Fry - so so good.