Dishes with squid are rich in proteins, low in calories, and easy to digest. One of the popular options is squid pasta topped with creamy or tomato sauce. Other seafood, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms or spices will help diversify the taste.
Squid in cooking: advantages and features of cooking
Squid is one of the most affordable types of seafood. They are relatively inexpensive, easy to process, and go well with a wide variety of ingredients. The calorie content of the product is low, while squids contain a lot of useful substances: iodine, potassium, phosphorus, valuable amino acids. An additional plus is a large amount of protein and a minimum of fat. This composition makes seafood ideal for baby and diet food. However, cooking squid is not tasty for everyone: this product requires a special approach.
Squids are sold chilled and frozen, in the form of whole carcasses (unpeeled or already prepared for cooking), strips and rings. They are part of ready-made seafood cocktails, but it is much more profitable and more convenient to buy a monoproduct and make a mixture according to your own taste.
When buying, you need to make sure that the squids are fresh, have not been re-frozen and have been stored in proper conditions. Carcasses should smell good, keep their shape, and be free from stains and damage. If you buy fresh frozen squid in a package, it is important to check its integrity and the shelf life of the product.
For novice cooks, it is better to cook already peeled and prepared squids, whole or chopped. If unpeeled carcasses are purchased, they need to be placed in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, after which the bluish-purple skin is easily removed, exposing the delicate dazzling white pulp. A chitinous plate must be removed from the carcass. So that the squid does not acquire an unpleasant rubbery consistency, they are cooked quickly; you cannot overexpose seafood on fire. This property makes squid indispensable for Italian cuisine, which prefers fresh, light, quick-cooking dishes.
Pasta with squid in a creamy sauce: a classic version
Ingredients:
- 300 g of peeled squid (peeled carcasses);
- 300 g spaghetti;
- 250 ml cream;
- a few feathers of green onions;
- dried garlic to taste;
- olive oil;
- salt;
- freshly ground black pepper.
If the squids were purchased frozen, move them to the lower compartment of the refrigerator in advance for slow defrosting. The seafood will reach the desired condition at room temperature. Rinse the carcasses with running water, dry with a paper towel and cut into narrow strips. It is not necessary to chop seafood too thinly; during cooking, they greatly decrease in size.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, stirring occasionally, fry the squid for 2 minutes. Add dried garlic, season with salt and pepper. Stir again, pour in the cream, simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes without closing the lid.
Boil the pasta in boiling salted water until it is al dente. The exact cooking time depends on the type of pasta and is indicated on the pack. For spaghetti, you need no more than 4-5 minutes. Throw the paste in a colander, let the liquid drain. Put the spaghetti in a frying pan with the squid in the cream, mix thoroughly.
Cover the pan with a lid, reduce heat to low and leave for 6-7 minutes. During this time, the spaghetti will partially absorb the cream, and the sauce itself will thicken and acquire a rich taste. Arrange the finished dish on heated plates, garnish each portion with finely chopped green onions. If desired, spaghetti can be sprinkled with paprika flakes or decorated with parsley. Serve immediately.
Vegetable and Squid Nests: Step-by-Step Cooking
Squids will become even healthier when combined with vegetables: fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots and onions. The dish turns out to be light and satisfying, it is perfect for a family dinner. From the specified number of products, 2 full servings are obtained.
Ingredients:
- 100 g pasta nests;
- 200 g squid;
- 1 large bell pepper (red or yellow);
- 1 onion;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 1 medium-sized juicy sweet carrot;
- 1 large fleshy tomato;
- 1 tsp hot ketchup;
- 2 tbsp. l. soy sauce;
- salt;
- chili peppers in flakes;
- refined vegetable oil for frying.
Remove the peel from the tomatoes, peel the carrots and onions, remove the seeds from the pepper. Cut the tomatoes into cubes, the rest of the vegetables into strips. Thaw the squid rings and divide into segments.
Chop the garlic and mix with the chili flakes. Heat a frying pan with vegetable oil, stirring occasionally, quickly fry the garlic. Add squid, simmer all together for 5 minutes. Add vegetables, stir, fry, uncovered. Add ketchup and soy sauce, fry for a few more minutes.
Boil pasta nests in salted water. Throw in a colander, let the liquid drain. Arrange the pasta on warmed plates, pour over the sauce and serve.
Tagliatteli with squid in tomato sauce: a step by step recipe
Fresh tomatoes make the sauce rich, give it an attractive color and a pleasant sour taste. Spicy herbs and garlic will complement the range. It is advisable to use fleshy tomatoes of late varieties, fragrant and brightly colored, with them the sauce will turn out to be more tasty and beautiful. If there are no fresh tomatoes, they can be replaced with canned tomatoes in their own juice.
Ingredients:
- 500 g tagliatteli;
- 700 g of peeled squid rings;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- 1 small hot pepper;
- 7 ripe meaty tomatoes;
- 1 glass of dry white wine;
- freshly ground black pepper;
- salt;
- a bunch of fresh parsley;
- olive oil for frying.
Boil tagliatteli in salted water until half cooked. Throw in a colander, let the liquid drain. Blanch the squid rings in boiling water for a minute.
Peel the garlic, cut into large pieces. Heat olive oil in a deep frying pan, fry the garlic, stirring occasionally with a wooden spatula. Add hot peppers, previously peeled from seeds and cut into thin rings. Cut the tomatoes, place in boiling water for a couple of minutes, remove the skin, chop the pulp. Place the tomatoes in a skillet, stirring occasionally, and fry for another 3-5 minutes over medium heat.
Pour wine into the pan, simmer the sauce for another 5-7 minutes so that the volume of liquid decreases. Place the squid, add finely chopped parsley after 3 minutes and turn off the stove. Put the boiled tagliatteli in the sauce, stir, let stand under the lid for a couple of minutes and put on heated plates. Sprinkle each serving with freshly ground black pepper and garnish with a sprig of parsley. The best accompaniment to the dish will be a glass of chilled white wine.
Fusilli with squid in pink sauce: quick and tasty
The secret of rose sauce is simple - it's a mixture of tomato paste and cream. Replacing cream with milk will help reduce the number of calories; instead of concentrated tomato paste, you can use tomato juice, homemade or purchased. The proportions of the ingredients can be varied to taste. According to this recipe, you can cook other sauces: with shrimp, mussels, osiminogi.
Ingredients:
- 400 g fusilli;
- 1 cup milk or non-fat cream
- 2 tbsp. l. thick tomato paste (or 0.75 cups of tomato juice);
- 300 g frozen squid;
- 1 tsp wheat flour;
- 1 small onion;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- a mixture of dry herbs (basil, parsley, thyme, oregano);
- salt;
- freshly ground black pepper;
- vegetable oil for frying.
Defrost the squids, boil the fusilli in salted water and discard in a colander. Heat the vegetable oil, fry the thinly chopped onion and chopped garlic. Put squid, mix. After 5 minutes, pour milk into the pan, add tomato paste and dry herbs. Simmer for all 7 minutes without closing the lid.
To thicken the sauce, add flour to it, mix thoroughly. Put the fusilli in a frying pan, cover and leave for a few minutes. Serve on warmed plates, sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper if desired.
