How to Clean a Whole Squid/Calamari

Squid
Squid or Calamari. Fried, dried and grilled, steamed, or added to stews. Squid is used in so many different ways in Korean Cuisine.

Let's talk about how to prep your squid and clean it.

Cut squid body vertically
Cut squid's body down to expose the intestine and the ink sac.

*If you want to prep for squid ring style (maybe for fried calamari), Don't cut the body down at the first step. Instead, pull out the inner part by holding the tentacles. And then follow the steps below.*

You might be shocked by PINK rubber glove but this is Korean brand and very comfortable and thick (sold at Korean Markets or scroll down for other choices LOL.) Cut out the inner parts from the body. If you want to use ink for some other cooking recipes, save the ink sac but we don't use it. We are using tentacles as well so cut right next to the eyes and save tentacles and throw rest of other parts out (eyes and inner parts).

Squid Beak
After you cut out the tentacles, don't forget to take out the inedible cartilage "beak" part. Flip tentacles and you'll find it in the center. Just pull it out with your hands. Easy enough.

Now the suction cup part of the squid. Grab each tentacle at a time and pull hard to clean out the suction cups.

Squid Membrane/skin
Squid membrane or skin whatever you call it is EDIBLE but usually cleaned out for the appearance sake. Make a slit (or score) on the membrane like the picture.