Unlike some still exoticfor us seafood - cuttlefish, for example - squid is no longer exotic. But it is one thing to take a bag of dried squid with beer or order a squid salad in a restaurant, and another thing to personally prepare a dish from this sea creature. And, oddly enough, many of us are filled with awe at the frozen pale purple carcasses: not meat, not poultry, not fish, but something incomprehensible. However, you can make very tasty dishes from this "something". But you need to start with something very simple. For example, prepare a squid salad with cucumber. And at the same time, learn how to cook squid - this, by the way, is a special process.
Cook the squid
First, the squid carcasses need to be defrosted.(it is unlikely that you will buy them already defrosted). Then the defrosted carcasses need to be processed: this process, although not very pleasant, is necessary. So, remove the film from the squid: carefully pry it with a fingernail and pull. The film comes off easily, and where it sits very tightly, you can scrape it with a knife. The film must be removed from both the outside and the inside of the carcass, by the way, it is most convenient to do this under running water. Together with the film, you need to remove the entrails (there are such carcasses too), as well as the "skeleton" - a transparent soft plate similar to mica. Now we proceed directly to boiling. Put a pan of water on the stove and let the water boil. Add a little salt to the boiling water and lower the squid carcass into it. Count to ten and quickly take the squid out of the pan (with a fork or slotted spoon). Wait until the water boils again and throw the next carcass into the boiling water. You can't keep the squid in boiling water for more than ten seconds! As a result, they will overcook, become tough and "rubbery". That's all. Let the squid cool and make a salad from them. Note: If you still overcook the squid, there is one trick to make them soft again: to do this, you need to boil the carcasses for about an hour (or half an hour). However, after such boiling, the squid will become half as small.
Salad of squid with cucumber and greens
One of the simplest recipes for squid salad. It turns out very tender and fresh, and dill greens make the taste of this salad simply indescribable. Ingredients:
- Squid - 2 carcasses of medium size;
- Fresh cucumber - 2 pieces;
- Dill greens - 1 bunch;
- Mayonnaise - 2-3 tablespoons.
Preparation:Cut the boiled squid into noodles, wash the cucumbers, peel them and cut them into strips. Finely chop the washed and dried dill. Place all the ingredients in a salad bowl, add salt and mayonnaise to taste and mix the salad. You don’t need to do anything else, except let the squid and cucumber salad cool and serve it.
Salad of squid with cheese and cucumber
A more filling version of the salad with squid and cucumber, which can be prepared for a festive table. Ingredients:
- Squids - 3 pieces;
- Fresh cucumbers - 2 pieces;
- Cheese (solid) - 100 g;
- Eggs - 4 pieces;
- Mayonnaise - as a refueling.
Preparation:In this salad, in addition to boiled squid, we will also add hard-boiled eggs, cool them and peel them. You can also peel the cucumber, but you don’t have to do this, just wash and dry it well. So, we will cut the boiled squid carcasses, eggs and cucumber into strips, and use a large grater for the cheese. We will put the prepared products in a salad bowl and season with mayonnaise. Salt is not needed in this salad – there is enough of it in the cheese and mayonnaise. However, if desired, you can add more salt to the salad.
Salad of squid with cucumber and corn
It's a real ensemble of flavors, not a salad! It has fresh vegetables, seafood, cereals, and even canned corn – isn't it the "highlight" of a festive feast? Ingredients:
- Squids - 3 pieces;
- Fresh cucumbers - 2 pieces;
- Onion - 1 piece;
- Green onions - half a beam;
- Rice (dry) - 2 tablespoons;
- Eggs - 3 pieces;
- Canned corn - 1 pot;
- Butter - for roasting;
- Salt, mayonnaise and lemon juice - for refueling.
Preparation:Defrost, wash, clean and boil the squid. Boil the eggs hard, boil the rice. Chop the onion and put it in a frying pan with heated butter. When the onion is fried until golden brown, add the squid cut into noodles and quickly fry them for literally one minute. Then throw the fried mixture into a colander so that it cools down and releases excess oil. In the meantime, let's take care of the remaining ingredients: cut the boiled eggs, green onions and cucumber into cubes. Place the chopped products in a salad bowl, add the boiled, washed and cooled rice, canned corn and fried squid and onions. Salt the salad, sprinkle it with lemon juice and season with mayonnaise, then mix thoroughly. Serve the salad in a mound and garnish with chopped green onions.
Salad of squid with sea kale and salted cucumber
A very "correct" and very healthy salad, which is also distinguished by its dietary dressing. Ingredients:
- Squids - 1-2 carcasses;
- Sea kale (canned) - 1 can;
- Pickled cucumbers - 1-2 pieces;
- Onion - 1 piece;
- Table vinegar, vegetable oil, salt and pepper - for sauce.
Preparation:Cut the boiled squid into strips, also cut the peeled salted cucumber, and finely chop the onion. Put the prepared products in a salad bowl and add the seaweed to them. Dress the salad with a sauce of vegetable oil and vinegar (three to one), seasoned with salt and black pepper. Leave the salad in the refrigerator for about six hours (for example, overnight), serve chilled.
Salad from squid with canned cucumbers
If there are recipes for squid salad with fresh and salted cucumbers, then to complete the picture, let's try to prepare a salad in which pickled cucumbers are added. Ingredients:
- Squids - 3 pieces;
- Marinated cucumbers - 3 pieces;
- Potatoes - 3 pieces;
- Carrots - 2 pieces;
- Green peas - bank;
- Mayonnaise and spices - for refueling;
- Greenery - for decoration.
Preparation:Boil and cool the squid, then cut into strips. Wash the carrots and potatoes, boil, cool, peel and cut into strips. Cut the peeled pickled cucumbers in the same way. Add green peas, salt and pepper (optional) to the chopped ingredients, season the salad with mayonnaise, mix and garnish with herbs. That's all. Of course, there are many more recipes for squid and cucumber salad than we have offered you to try. However, start with something that seems simple to you: maybe you will also come up with some ideas on how to improve the taste of such a salad. Then please share these ideas with us. In the meantime, enjoy cooking and bon appetit! We recommend reading:
