FOOD NEWS
Contemplate Canned Squid For Your Next Pasta Dish And More
BY STEPHANIE FRIEDMAN
Squid can be cooked, seasoned, and packed into tins like many of their aquatic brethren, which is an easy way to boost your next pasta dish or another entrée.
Tinned squid is typically composed of the squid's body or tentacles, and is often canned in its own ink to make the flavor even stronger.
The squid meat, typically light pink to white in color, is usually cut into pieces about an inch thick. If not canned in ink, it may be in olive oil, a special sauce, or water.
Before squid is canned, it's defrosted, cleaned, and either blanched in brine or cooked for up to 10 hours. After it cooks, it must cool for hours.
Canned squid has a slightly tougher texture but a milder flavor than other seafood, and when packed in oil or sauce, it will take on a rich flavor that can enhance any recipe.
To use canned squid, simply open the can and incorporate it into your recipe with or without the liquid, eat it plain, use it as a topping for crackers or toast, or make calamari.
While canned squid is rare and likely not available at your average market with other tinned fish, you can find it at specialty stores or online retailers.
Canned squid will last up to five years in the pantry unopened at temperatures under 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Once open, refrigerate it and use it within two days.