To make delicious boiled squid that retains its natural sweetness, you need to pay attention to a few tips such as: how to choose fresh squid, and how to time the boiling process.
How to choose good squid
Squid is a popular seafood item due to its delicious flavor, reasonable price, and versatility, as it can be prepared into many attractive dishes.
However, the key to making delicious squid dishes is ensuring the squid is of high quality, fresh, and has firm flesh. To achieve this, you need to know how to choose fresh, high-quality squid using a few simple tips below:
1. Look at the ink color.
To choose fresh squid, you should select those with a dark brown body or, if white, those with a glossy appearance. Avoid choosing squid with a pale color, as these may not be fresh, have been stored for a long time, or have been frozen.
2. Observe the squid's eyes.
Fresh squid typically has clear, bright eyes, allowing you to see the pupil inside. Conversely, stale or old squid will have cloudy, dull, yellow, or bulging eyes.
3. Feel the hardness of the ink.
To identify fresh squid, you can gently press on its body with your hand. Fresh squid will be elastic and have firm flesh. Conversely, if the squid is less elastic, soft, or mushy, it is old and no longer fresh.
4. Inspect the squid's tentacles.
Fresh squid tentacles are usually firm, not mushy, and firmly attached to the body, with many small, round, evenly distributed suckers.
When buying, you can flip over the tentacles to check: if the tentacles are intact and firmly attached, then it's fresh squid.
To ensure quality, you should buy squid from a reputable seafood store or from a trusted source.
How many minutes does it take to boil until cooked?
Fresh squid cooks quite quickly when boiled. Depending on the type and size of the squid, you can adjust the cooking time accordingly.
For cuttlefish, squid with eggs, or small tube squid, you only need to boil them for about 2-3 minutes (from the moment the water boils). These types of squid have thin flesh and are small in size, so boiling them until just cooked will make them taste better.
For cuttlefish and squid, which have thicker flesh and are heavier, you can boil them for 4-5 minutes.
Note:
Fresh squid cooks quickly, so you shouldn't overcook it to avoid making it tough, shrinking the meat, and losing its natural sweetness.
When boiling, add just enough water because squid releases its own juices, and avoid adding too much water to prevent reducing its natural sweetness.
In addition, you must wait for the water to boil vigorously before adding the squid. The squid boiling water should have a little ginger/lemongrass or guava leaves and sugar added to remove the fishy smell and enhance the crispness and aroma.
During the boiling process, you shouldn't stir the squid too much, as this can cause the skin to peel off, reducing the quality and appearance of the dish.
Once the squid is cooked through, remove it from the pot, drain it, and serve it on a plate with chili sauce or salt, pepper, and lemon.
(Synthetic)