Skip to content
GlobeCooks
Fish & seafood

Squid

TeuthidaAlso called calamari

Squid is a mollusc whose muscle is used in cooking. It is sold whole or dried and can be grilled, braised, deep-fried, or eaten raw. Squid pairs with garlic, lemon, chili, soy sauce, and mayonnaise.

  • Shellfish
  • Gluten-free
  • Allergen: molluscs

About the plain ingredient, not packaged products; general information, not medical advice. Details

Part used
Muscle
Cooked most in
Asia
Top country
Indonesia
Squid, whole

Photo: Fumikas Sagisavas · CC0 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons

In the kitchen

How to use squid

Typical ways to cook or use it

  • Boil simmer
  • Braise
  • Deep fry
  • Ferment
  • Grill
  • Marinade
  • Raw
  • Roast
  • Steam
  • Stew
  • Stir fry
  • Stuff

Preparing it

For fermented squid, skin, gut and wash it before salting.

Cooking with it

Fry squid briefly to help keep it tender. For tender simmered squid, cook it longer at a lower temperature.

Goes well with

Shopping

Choosing and storing squid

Sold as
Dried, Whole

Around the world

Where squid is cooked

2 dishes in the catalogue use squid. Here is where they come from.

Dishes by continent

Countries whose dishes use it most

Counts are catalogued dishes from each country that list squid among their ingredients.

Origins

  1. The 1970s · United States

    Researchers developed a squid-gutting machine as part of an effort to promote squid as food.

  2. The 1990s · United States

    Government and industry collaborated to promote calamari consumption.

On the table

Dishes made with squid

2 dishes in the catalogue use it.

  • Pangkong squid

    Indonesia

  • Ponpon-yaki

Dish lists come from Wikidata; a dish counts when its recorded ingredients include squid.

Good to know

Diet and allergens: squid in detail

These notes describe the plain ingredient. Packaged and prepared products vary, so read the label; for allergies and medical diets ask a doctor or dietitian.
Allergens
Contains: molluscsChecked and not found: soy, eggs, fish, milk, lupin, wheat, celery, sesame, mustard, peanuts, sulphites, tree nuts, crustaceans, gluten cereals.
Animal origin
From: shellfishChecked and not found: egg, fish, meat, dairy, honey, insect, gelatin, poultry, bone char, other animal, animal fining, animal rennet.
Gluten
None
Alcohol
None
Caffeine
None
Pork
None

Around the world

What squid is called

Names in 26 languages, from Wikidata.

  • Spanish

    calamar

  • French

    chair de calmar · calmar (chair) · chair d'encornet · encornet (chair)

  • Italian

    calamari

  • Portuguese

    Lula a dorê

  • German

    Tintenfisch · Tintenfischringe · Calamares · Calamari

  • Dutch

    calamares · calamari

  • Russian

    кальмар · кальмар (пища)

  • Arabic

    حبار · سبيدج

  • Persian

    ماهی مرکب

  • Hebrew

    קלמארי · קאלמרי · קלמארו · קלמרי

  • Chinese

    烏賊樂團

  • Japanese

    イカ · カラマリ · いか · 烏賊

Show all 26 languages

  • Bikol

    Pusit bilang kakanon

  • Catalan

    calamar

  • Esperanto

    kalamaraĵo

  • Filipino

    Kalamares

  • Galician

    lura

  • Indonesian

    Cumi-cumi sebagai makanan

  • Javanese

    Cumi-cumi minangka panganan

  • Korean

    오징어

  • Romanian

    Calamari

  • Slovenian

    ligenj · kalamar

  • Swedish

    Teuthida

  • Telugu

    కందవ్యాలు

  • Thai

    หมึก

  • Vietnamese

    Thịt mực

Sources and credits

Data

  • GlobeCooks editorial: descriptions, kitchen notes and classification, written by GlobeCooks from checked sources
  • Wikidata: names, classification and dishes (CC0 1.0)
  • Wikimedia Commons: photos
  • Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Wikidata item: Q550774

Photos

Photo: Fumikas Sagisavas · CC0 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons