24 Mar Lent: Loligo Squid

The Loligo Squid applies to several closely-related wild-caught species. These estuarine cephalopods have mottled pinky-purple skin, long thin bodies, pointy side fins that run about half their body length, eight shorter arms and two longer tentacles. They are caught in estuaries by jigging – a technic using lights to attract them to the water’s surface at night.

When purchasing fresh whole squid look for intact bright skin, with a light brown to purple mottled appearance and a pleasant fresh sea smell. Cleaned tubes should be white without any brown markings.