Landing weight, not water weight: one cleaned squid in a vacuum bag, tube, fins and tentacles intact, frozen the day it came aboard.

What It Is

The body is a single muscular tube, pale ivory and faintly translucent, with two triangular fins at the tapered end and a cluster of eight arms and two longer feeding tentacles at the other. The skin carries fine reddish speckles that fade the moment the meat is blanched. Everything has been drawn and cleaned already, so there is no quill, no ink sac and no viscera left inside.

Where It Comes From

Taken by coastal trawlers working cold shelf water and cleaned on deck within hours of the haul, then sealed under vacuum and frozen. Nothing is added at any stage: no brine, no glaze, no preservative.

Specifications

State on Arrival

Frozen hard and free of ice glaze, so the weight on the label is flesh rather than water. The tube should feel rigid and cold right through with no soft patch at the thick end, and the bag should hold a tight vacuum with no loose liquid inside.

Storage and Thawing

Hold at -18 C or colder with the bag sealed. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator on a rack, or drop the sealed bag into cold water for about an hour. Never thaw at room temperature: the outside warms long before the middle does. Pat the tube dry inside and out before it meets heat, or it will steam instead of searing. Do not refreeze once thawed.

Shelf Life and Delivery

Best within 9 months of the production date stamped on the box. Ships in an insulated liner with dry ice and arrives hard frozen; open the box on arrival and move the bag straight to the freezer. If the vacuum has failed or the tube has gone soft, photograph it and contact us before cooking.

How to Cook It

• Grilled. Score the tube lightly in a diamond pattern, brush with oil, garlic and a little soy, then grill over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes a side until the edges curl.
• Stir-fried. Cut into rings or strips and keep the wok very hot; two minutes with ginger, spring onion and chilli is enough, and any longer turns it rubbery.
• Deep-fried. Dust with cornflour or a light batter and fry at 180 C for 2 to 3 minutes until pale gold.
• Poached. Lower the pieces into simmering broth for 60 to 90 seconds, then lift them out at once; the tentacles need only half that time.

Allergen Information

Contains molluscs (squid). Packed in a facility that also handles fish and crustaceans.