Squid are delicious. Small brief squid that you catch in your bait trawl are tender and great on the table, if properly stored and cleaned.
Frozen squid packed in 5-pound boxes are packed food-grade quality and are good too, as long as you didn’t allow them to lie in the sun for hours. With the price you have to pay for bait squid, eating your leftover bait makes sense — especially since it tastes so good.
Follow these easy steps to have your own calamari:
1) Pull the head out from the body or tube of the squid and set the tube aside.
2) Cut the tentacles from the head immediately in front of the eyes and discard the head.
3) Remove the muscular mouth and beak from the center of the tentacles. Discard the beak and save the tentacles.
4) Pull the transparent, semi-rigid pen from the tube and discard it.
5) Skin the tube using your fingers and discard the skin.
6) Using your fingers, remove the fins from the tube and set them aside.
7) Cut the tube into rings.
8) The parts of the squid ready to eat are the tentacles, fins, and tube rings.
