Squid is one of the most popular sea delicacies and, it is said, one of the most intelligent invertebrates because of how it acts and adapts to changes in the environment around them. They are carnivorous and invertebrate mollusks that belong to the group of shellfish and derivatives. Their strange shape with a large head and an elongated body is striking, but their main ‘attraction’ is the ink with which these mollusks defend themselves against threats.
A cartilaginous skeleton runs lengthwise through its interior and around its mouth it has eight tentacles with suction cups that it uses to capture its prey. Although they usually measure between 10 and 45 centimeters, every so often there is a giant squid that surpasses the previous one. Some are more than 15 meters long.
Among the most famous dishes are fried squid, squid in its ink or black rice..
Properties of squid
From a nutritional point of view, squid stands out for its very high content of good quality proteins, thus providing most of the essential amino acids and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, iron and manganese. It is also low in fat and calories (100 grams of squid provide only 81 kilocalories and 1.70 grams of fat). It is recommended to consume one or two servings a week to enjoy the different benefits of squid, without causing a problem for our blood cholesterol levels.
According to some studies, squid ink has antitumor and antibacterial functions, in addition to protecting the production of white blood cells.
Where it is fished
Its areas of distribution are the Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic. The most common methods of capture are trawls, artisanal gear, trammel nets and pots.
One of their advantages is that they are easy to find in the markets all year round, although they are caught mainly in August and January and the best months to eat squid are autumn and winter.
Buy frozen squid
At Congelados Apolo we sell squid from origins highly valued for their exquisiteness, such as the Patagonian or the Indian.
Six curiosities about squid
1) Squids owe their name to the fact that their inner shell is shaped like a feather, which together with the presence of the ink sac led to their being compared to an ancient inkwell or ‘calamarium’..
2) They are mollusks with three heartsone main heart and two gill cores.
3) Squid ink helps them escape from their enemies by disorienting them and gaining time to escape. disorienting them and gaining time to escape..
4) The size that giant squids can reach is striking. giant squid can reach.
5) Some species glow in the dark.
6) The squid is an inspiration for science. NASA recently presented a project which consists of a robot in the shape of a giant squid to search for life in the subway oceans of Jupiter’s moon Europa.
