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Skipjack Joe
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Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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This and that about squid
Social dying: This summer I spent a bit of time at Calamanue and during one of my walks came upon an inlet that just reeked with
decomposition. During low tide the sea water was a putrid white color but I couldn't find any garbage. My first thought was that the pangueros were
dumping their bycatch in this inlet. Then I started to see those tranlucent pens. Finally I came upon the remaining squid corpses. Their must have
been tens of thousands of them. They had chosen the quietest inlet in a protected cove and died together.
salmon vs squid:What's interesting about the way squid die is that they seem to perfectly healthy as they get ready. The salmon I saw
in Alaska seem to rot to death. I saw salmon whose fins were just rotting stubs. Some fish were totally battered, almost beyond recognition, and yet
the gills were still pulsating. These squid at SLC arrive in full color without any apparent aging evidence. They just swim into the shallows and
wait. So different.
calamari en su tinto: I was travelling through the Basque country with my friend on a Eurail Pass many years ago. We were staying in
San Sebastian and would go for evening walks along the seashore to discover the local culture. At one of the outdoor market/restaurants I discovered a
food item that looked simply disgusting. They had these little bowls with squid cut into pieces immersed in their own ink. They called it 'calamari en
su tinto'. I just could not imagine anyone willfully putting that slop into their mouths. To me it was like drinking a bottle of ink. But there it
was: a seafood delicacy much loved by the Basques. Perhaps someone has tried this and can tell me what it tastes like.
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Natalie Ann
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2819
Registered: 8-22-2003
Location: Berkeley
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Thank you for that answer Skipjack.... what is amazing is that I asked you about the squid and then this morning thought I edited my question - but
it's no longer here so obviously I messed that up... amd you answered anyway.
Just for the record, I also commented how I love the story about your son and the squid, and the photo is outstanding. Thank you again.
[Edited on 9-29-2005 by Natalie Ann]
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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Natalie Ann
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2819
Registered: 8-22-2003
Location: Berkeley
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
calamari en su tinto: I was travelling through the Basque country with my friend on a Eurail Pass many years ago. We were staying in
San Sebastian and would go for evening walks along the seashore to discover the local culture. At one of the outdoor market/restaurants I discovered a
food item that looked simply disgusting. They had these little bowls with squid cut into pieces immersed in their own ink. They called it 'calamari en
su tinto'. I just could not imagine anyone willfully putting that slop into their mouths. To me it was like drinking a bottle of ink. But there it
was: a seafood delicacy much loved by the Basques. Perhaps someone has tried this and can tell me what it tastes like. |
Here's a guy who liked it, although he fails to say why.
I googled 'calamari en su tinto' and could not come up with a single recipe - 'spose they just 'ink it' and then toss the meat in?
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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comitan
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Registered: 3-27-2004
Location: La Paz
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Mood: mellow
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You can buy Pulpo(Octopus) en su tinta, Tuny brand in cans at the Lay's mkts. Its very good to use for a dip.
[Edited on 9-29-2005 by comitan]
[Edited on 9-29-2005 by comitan]
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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Natalie Ann
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2819
Registered: 8-22-2003
Location: Berkeley
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So Comitan, what does it taste like? (and don't say chicken)
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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Natalie Ann
| Quote: | Originally posted by Natalie Ann
Just for the record, I also commented how I love the story about your son and the squid, and the photo is outstanding. Thank you again.
[Edited on 9-29-2005 by Natalie Ann] |
Yeah, he is a good boy, he is.
I was thinking of starting a thread about baja from a child's viewpoint. I thought I could enter one of Alex's diary entries with all the bad sentence
structure and mispellings. And also his drawings of fish and turtles. I thought other parents could join in. Haven't found a scanner yet so I never
went through with it. I wonder if anyone would enjoy that sort of thing.
By the way, part of the dark right side of the picture is actually my shadow. But some of it is ink. I remember shooting that sequence.
skipjack
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Natalie Ann
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2819
Registered: 8-22-2003
Location: Berkeley
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
I was thinking of starting a thread about baja from a child's viewpoint. I thought I could enter one of Alex's diary entries with all the bad sentence
structure and mispellings. And also his drawings of fish and turtles. I thought other parents could join in. Haven't found a scanner yet so I never
went through with it. I wonder if anyone would enjoy that sort of thing.
skipjack |
I would enjoy it, and I'm sure there are some others who would. Go for it! 
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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eetdrt88
Senior Nomad
Posts: 986
Registered: 2-20-2005
Location: Az/Ca/Baja
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yea joe,i like your idea..
to me baja is about kids,i started goin there when i was a kid and now i take my kids there....somethin' about the beaches in baja that makes it such
an awesome place to bring the youngsters
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frizkie
Nomad
Posts: 293
Registered: 9-29-2003
Location: Victoria, BC, Canada & El Chorro, Baja Sur
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Mood: tranquilo
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Squid adventures and recipes
Several years ago I was working for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans doing marine research on the West Coast of Canada aboard various different
large trawlers. One night we dragged aboard a Giant Squid. It's mantle was about 4.5 feet in length, then there was a mass where the head seemed to
have once been but the eyes were gone. There seemed to have been six long tentacles but they were mostly broken off. It was quite dead, of course,
and likely a baby compared to the one recently photographed. The mantle was very scarred up but it must've been two inches thick. As I remember he
was dragged up from about 400 fathoms, these boats are fishing now at depths of 900 fathoms and maybe deeper these days. They were going deeper and
deeper in the three years that I was out there. They are solely targeting on fish called Shortspined (and Longspined) Thornyheads (fish that we never
have the oportunity to buy because the only country that can afford them is Japan). With the exception of a few large sablefish (blackcod|) they are
the only marketable fish in these depths.
Lots of other wild and wonderful critters were hauled up from way down there. I was in my glory observing all this incredible sealife. I even
discovered one myself that had never been found in the Pacific Ocean before....No, I did not get to call it the "Frizkie Fish", as many often ask me.
 The ichthyologists did know of a distant relative to this tiny wee guy somewhere
in the North Atlantic and they called mine a Melamno Rabdis. He came up from 850 fathoms! That is like 1/4 of a mile deep!! My little fish was in the
newspapers all across the country...he never knew I was going to make him so famous.
Anyways, back to squid. We were once surrounded by these same squid that you've seen in the Sea of Cortes. We were ten miles out from the closest
land, it was at night, and we were surrounded by them, they were everywhere...we put the huge decklights on and, WOW!!!!   What a
light show that was!!!  They were all changing colors from lime green, to
purple, red, blue, yellow. They seemed to be attracted to the lights. It is a wonderful memory. We used a long handled net and managed to bring a
few aboard and they still continued to change color and glow for some time. The boat I was on at that time, had the best chef in the entire fleet on
it. So he prepared one of his favourite dishes for the crew. Raw Squid Salad...Yup, raw!!...It was delicious!! As I remember, it goes something
like this:
He didn't take the largest squid, and he only used the mantle.
He cut a few pieces about 3x6 inches. Then we cleaned off the outer membrane (slime), which wasn't an easy job.
Then he cut in a criss-cross design through the meat on one side(like you do on a baked ham), after that he cut diagonal strips of the meat about
1/2-3/4" wide & 3-4" long. And then...the "Secret" ingredient...Balsamic Vinegar.....He marinaded the pieces of squid in that overnight in a
covered bowl in the fridge. It does a great job of tenderizing the meat and kinda cooks the squid, like lime juice with ceviche. After a few hours in
that, the pieces of squid curled up and looked almost like pasta.
The next afternoon we rinsed off the balsamic vinegar and he put it all together in a salad, with green onions, cherry tomatoes, celery, cucumber, and
some sliced red onions. I'm not sure if I have all that right, but I know he didn't use lettuce, and I believe the dressing was a Japanese one, but
likely any oil and vinegar combo would work well. Fantastico!! Very, Very, tasty!!
The secret was definitely in letting that squid soak, and soak, in the balsamic vinegar for many hours.
Another excellent marinade for squid is as follows:
1 red chilli finely chopped
3 tbsp coriander finely chopped
1 garlic clove finely choped
juice of one lime
100 ml soy sauce
3tbsp honey
1 tsp 5 spice powder ( Chinese)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp olive oil
Leave in a covered bowl in fridge for at least one hour.
Remove from marinade and throw on a hot BBQ for just a couple of minutes so that it is seared and has curled up, remove from BBQ. Mix up a dressing
of :
juice of 1 lime
2 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp honey
freshly ground black pepper
Toss the squid with a generous handful of coriander leaves, 1 yellow, red, and green pepper (cut into long thin slices) and one spring onion, sliced
long and thin.
Mmmmmmm!!! Nummmy!!
Go ahead jig up a few squid, give it a try, and tell me how you liked it.
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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Last Post
Well Fritzkie, no one has answered your post and it's the last one on the thread, possibly leaving you wondering what's our reaction.
I, for one, really enjoyed reading it. It covered a lot of ground and brought back memories of similar experiences. There was even something for the
baja dieting thread I saw a few days ago. I am interested in the idea of preparing squid by marinating it first. When it comes to seafood the Japanese
are light years ahead of the rest of the world.
Your story about scooping up squid at night reminded me of a night like that years ago. I think there is something about night fishing that's just so
special. I think that's why so many of us like catching those dumb mackerel at 5 in the morning. Catching mackerel during daylight just isn't the
same.
Anyway we were on the backside of Catalina on a moonless night with the lights over the side to attract the squid. There were millions of them just
floating around mesmerized by the light. And amongst them were blue sharks just gorging themselves on the bounty. There was so much food for them that
parts of squid trailed out of their jaws as they swam by. Their gullets were filled to capacity.
Periodically you would hear these loud blasts from the rifle. The deckhand walked around the deck blasting the sharks that were close to the surface.
We watched as the sharks slowly sank into the depths leaving a trail of red. It may seem shocking to hear it now but there was a different mentality
then - a Hemingway mentality about sharks.
Heck, I can remember when each party boat kept a rifle for the sea lions that came into our chum lines. Captains felt they had a right to protect
their customers pleasure.
But getting back to squidding at night. Mysterious, romantic, and great fun. Thanks for the post.
skipjack
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frizkie
Nomad
Posts: 293
Registered: 9-29-2003
Location: Victoria, BC, Canada & El Chorro, Baja Sur
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KEWL!!!!
Now that would've been something to see!! The squid I saw were just chillin' having a good time, no threats of somebody higher up in the food chain
happening by to do their thing.
Very interesting, I sure would have loved to have seen that!!
Thanks for sharing
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Sharksbaja
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 9-7-2004
Location: Newport, Mulege B.C.S.
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Squid can be yucky
I have vivid memories of fishing out handful after handful of spent, dying or decaying squid out of holding tanks I built for researchers. Squid have
eyes that are very well developed and are very similar to our own. This makes them wonderful candidates for study and experiments.
Unfortunately the squid we pulled up behind Catalina Is. were always in the spawning mode with death close behind. Probably 3/4 of the specimens held
for study died within 12 hrs.
I sort of lost my appetite for the purple yuck, er I mean calamari for quite a while.
The best way I have found to do "fresh" squid is to remove the mantle completely. This can be done easily under tap water with a pair of those knubby
gloves with the plastic spots. Slice the squid as thin as possible with big ones, about a quarter in.
To really have a tender meal Calamari MUST BE cooked extremely hot and fast. Boiling oil is the best method and never, I repeat never cook it longer
no than 30 seconds otherwise forget the squid and use rubber bands, their cheaper.
Another method is to tenderize and cook "cold" with an acidic marinade. Use a vinaigrette/Italiano or lemon/lime based juice and cover and refrigerate
8-12 hrs.
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