How to clean and prepare squid: In the
case of large squid (kalamari)which are to be stuffed
whole, or largish squid that you want to cut up and deep-fry in
rings or pieces, it will be necessary to gut and clean them. Very
tiny baby squid (kalamaria) that can be fried whole should
just have the little piece of cuttlebone removed, if it is
present. Large squid: you will find that the head and tentacles
easily pull away from the body. Remove the red-grey thin skin on
the body and clean out all the contents of the cavity, but do not
break the ink bag as you remove it! Wear kitchen gloves to clean
the squid until you are expert at it. Don't forget to pull out
the hard cuttlebone, which resembles a piece of plastic. Now
remove the eyes and the piece of tough cartilage at the point
where the tentacles emanate from the head. Keep the body whole if
it is to be stuffed and chop up the tentacles and fins for the
stuffing. Otherwise large squid can be cut into rings and
deep-fried like baby whole squid.
