What Does Squid Taste Like?

The smell of seawater makes many people crave different seafood. If you like seafood then squid is a good option for you to have a tendered meal. Many people hardly acknowledge the benefits that squid can provide them.

You may use different items for your food preparation but squid can give you a totally different taste that’s hard to find in any other sea foods.

When squid is served on the table, it may look like an octopus but there are differences between these two. Although squid tastes more or less like its fellow cephalopods it has a chewy taste in it. The more you eat it, the more it gets crispy inside, especially the tentacles area. Ready-to-eat squids can be found in Chinese street food lines that are served in cups. 

Keep reading our article more to find out how to deal with this delicious food and how you can prepare a tasty squid recipe that can be eaten anytime.  

 What Does Squid Taste Like? What Are The Taste Differences?  

Squid taste is mild and sweet and has a flavor of nuttiness. People may think squid has a fishy flavor but that’s a wrong perception. Since squid and fish are different, they have a less fishy taste.

Instead cooked squid has a soggy taste that has a slightly firm meat-like structure. Below we are listing some of the most iconic squid tastes that are popular in different cultures.

Cooked Squid: If cooked squids are cooked well and served in a simple dish, they will taste great. Simply cooked squids are delicious and a bit nutty. It’s more like a sweet flavor ran through a firm texture. 

Overcooked Squid: In many cultures, squids are overcooked so that all the people can taste them with gravy items. But overcooked squids are not good always since overcooking them makes them rubbery. If you never eat squids before, you may find the rubbery texture edible but if you tried octopus before then you may find it exciting.

If you serve it with different sauces, then overcooked squids will bring the taste of a delicate flavor. 

Baby Squid: This is the tastiest, most delicious, and most memorable meal that you can have out of these three. When baby squid is being cooked in squid ink along with tomatoes, you can feel the sweet-sour ocean taste from it.

It’s not the end, if this recipe is served with warm freshly baked bread with a side of Greek salad, it’s become a mind-blowing dish for any time of the day. The ambiance of this particular service is unforgettable for anyone even if someone never tried squid before.  

But if any squid is being cooked badly, even regular squid-consuming fans won’t find it tasty. Get the recipe right and it will become everyone’s favorite.

Are Calamari and Octopus a Variant of Squid?  

Well, no. Squids and octopuses both fall under the ocean-dwelling cephalopods. Even after falling under the same class, these two have a lot of differences between them. Behavioral patterns, physical characteristics, and habitats all the things are different from each other.

In general, one has eight long arms of which one or two rows may fill with suckers. On the other hand, squid’s heads are shaped in triangular form, and all of its arms have suckers on them.

However, octopuses are often confused with calamari, where calamari and squids are the same things. Sometimes people think that calamari dishes came from the octopus recipe, but in real calamari is actually cooked from various types of squid.

Taste-wise differences: Although they both taste somewhat similar, there is a slight difference. Usually, you will find octopuses tenderer than squid. Cooked octopuses sometimes taste like chicken but many people also compared it to pork.

On the other side, eating squid makes it taste a bit tougher and smoother. But it changes if it’s cooked well. Cooked squid can taste firm and tender by soaking up its original flavor.

Is Squid Healthy? 

Of course, it is. Let’s look at the nutrition facts of squid from 4-ounce servings first (this data is approved by USDA). Below, we compiled the health benefits you can expect from squid.

Nutrients	Amount	Notes
Total Fat	3 grams	A 4-ounce serving of steamed or boiled squid has 3 grams of total fat, which includes 0.8 grams of saturated fat and 0 grams of trans fat.
TotalCarbohydrates​	6.7 grams	A 4-ounce serving of squid has 6.7 grams of carbs, which includes 0 grams of fiber and 0 grams of sugar.
Calories	200 kCal
Cholesterol​​	507.1 mg
Sodium​	467.8 mg
Protein	33.9 gram

All the health benefits we get from squid come mostly from its high protein content. It improves our body composition and increases muscle. Other important health benefits of squid come from its polyunsaturated fatty acid. Mostly this name is popular by the term omega-3 fatty acid. 

Researchers have found a significant linkage between the presence of omega-3 fatty acids present in fish oil and heart health. For this reason, doctors always suggest fish oil for good heart health.

However, some researchers found that there is a difference in balance between typical fish oils and the fatty acid of squid oils. (Note: The research is conducted on the available fish oils found in the market) 

Effects on Women’s Health: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration highly suggests pregnant women have healthy foods, especially women who are breastfeeding.

The presence of the fatty docosahexaenoic acid is comparatively more in squid than in other sea foods. DHA is popularly renowned to improve resting heart health. Platelet aggregation in women can be reduced with the DHA-rich oils present in squids.

What Are The Best Squid Recipes?

You can cook a diversified range of recipes with squid. Squids are really easy to cook and many people eat squids curried, grilled, boiled, stewed, or battered. Below we are listing some of the most remarkable recipes with squids,

Spanish Paella with Squid: Almost everyone who loves squid has a weakness for this dish. It’s cooked with the finest morsels while putting over an aromatic open fire, away from the harsh midday heat.

Squid Stew: This stew is slow-cooked with tender squid and creamy butter beans. It is best eaten with crunchy bread to make a filling one-pot meal. The co-owners of the seafood restaurant Prawn on the Lawn are the source of this dish.

BBQ Squid: This quick and simple barbecued squid recipe is delicious and impressive-looking, making it ideal for gathering. The plain grilled lemon and caper dressing complements the fresh squid perfectly. 

FAQs 

How can you identify if the squid is fresh?

First of all, look for the white part of the squad. If it looks shiny and bright that means the squid is fresh. With these two, the color should be intense because faded color means the squid has been frozen for a long time.

One remark is if the whole squid has started to go yellow color that means the squid got bad. Remember, fresh squids shall look very plump, deflated, and smelly squid means it must have bad issues. 

How to store squid?

The squid should be firmly covered and kept in your refrigerator’s coldest compartment or on an ice bed. Squid, whether fresh or frozen, must be consumed within two days.

It’s essential to consume seafood fast because it should never be refrozen for food safety reasons. The cooked squid can then be frozen for 10 days if necessary. 

How can you differ a squid from an octopus visually?

Squids are in general smaller than octopuses. Octopuses can grow very large with their tentacles. In fact, most giant squids are not even bigger than octopuses because squid tentacles are smaller.

Most ocean squids are sized less than only 12 inches (30 cm), whereas octopuses can grow anywhere between 12 inches to 36 inches. You can find lots of squids in a small buffet bowl but one giant octopus needs to be served in one bowl. 

Wrapping Up

Not only the squid tentacles can become crispy but also whole crispy squid is vastly popular as well. Most people advise boiling squid in warm water for a few minutes to make it more delicate. But sometimes the results become crispy after being fried. 

While some people may find this method effective but freezing squid before frying is the simplest way to achieve a crispy squid. When applying a flour coating, make sure the surface is completely dry. Finally, when frying, avoid packing the pan too full. This will only make cooking tough. 

Since it’s Mediterranean food, you should consume it with great care.