Cooking Squid

Shown below is the most common way to clean a squid and extract the head and tentacles. The trick with cooking squid is to ensure that you are using a very high heat, and only cook the squid (if frying) for a matter of seconds, not minutes !

Step 1 Grasp the Squid with one hand and with the other, reach inside the body and pull the head and tentacles away.	Step 2 Pull off and discard the body's mottled skin.
Step 3 Feel inside the body for the transparent cartilage, or "quil", draw it out and discard it.	Step 4 Wash the body thoroughly, inside and out, under cold running water and then separate the two flaps from the body. You will find that they pull away quite easily.
Step 5 Cut the tentacles from the head. If the long, narrow ink sac is present and still intact, you will find it attached to the head. Remove it carefully and put it aside to use in an accompanying sauce. The remains of the head, which contain the entrails, can either be discarded, or frozen and used as offal for future fishing expeditions.	Step 6 Cut the body into thick rings, slice the flaps into broad strips and cut the tentacles to a manageable size. The Squid is now ready to cook.