Pounding squid

[phaelon56]

I made some paella last weekend and noted that the recipe didn't mention pounding the squid to soften. I checked a few cookbooks and discovered that some recipes call for this procedure and others don't mention it. I was using only the body of the squid, no tentacles, and they were of moderate size. I did pound them but it seemed that too much of the rubbery texture was absent. I find a bit of springiness to be a good thing, especially in paella, where it needs something to distinguish it from the many other flavors and textures.

Your opinions or experience?

[thursdaynext]

Maybe if they were exceptionally large I would tenderize- the regular ones that I buy (6"-10" body) seem to be fine in most recipes without the extra treatment. (I like a little "tooth" to mine, also). I think it's more important not to overcook-

[skiplombardi]

I've never seen an Italian recipe that calls for pounding squid. Mario Batali seems to have the Italian philosophy right when he says, "Cook them for one minute, or cook them for one hour."

Best regards,

Skip Lombardi

http://www.skiplombardi.com

[eunny jang]

My mom never pounded, but then, we loved our squid al dente , both in long-braised things and quick-two-minutes-over-heat things. She did, however, reminisce about our grandmother pounding squid and octopus against rocks every time she cooked it.

[stephenc]

I score my squid, like most Asian chefs do.

Take a knife, score the squid diagonally one way. Then go perpendicularly in the other direction.

[balex]

I think you are thinking of octopus -- a different animal entirely. Large octopus can be very tough unless pre-treated in some way -- beating is good, but freezing also works. The little baby ones don't need this treatment.

Squid and cuttlefish are both pretty tender and need only very brief cooking.

In fact they are a bit like cabbage -- cook them either a very short time or a very long time; anything in between is generally a mistake.

[bleudauvergne]

I think you are thinking of octopus -- a different animal entirely. Large octopus can be very tough unless pre-treated in some way -- beating is good, but freezing also works. The little baby ones don't need this treatment.

Squid and cuttlefish are both pretty tender and need only very brief cooking.

In fact they are a bit like cabbage -- cook them either a very short time or a very long time; anything in between is generally a mistake.

I have to agree with Balex. The freezing technique is good for Octopus, my fishmonger recommends it as well.

[phaelon56]

When I initially had some curiosity about this I consulted The Joy of Cooking - the only general cooking reference book that I own. In the section with general information about squid it describes pounding to tenderize and then goes on to present a handful of recipes, half of which mention pounding and the other half making no mention of it.

I always assumed that conch definitely needed pounding until I had a conch seviche in a Mexican fishing village this past fall - it was unbelievably tender - still had enough tooth but was not at all rubbery like other fresh conch I've had.

[arjay]

I agree that squid should be severely pounded and then thrown away.

[Huevos del Toro]

When we used to dive for abalone we did the same thing. Pound the hell out of the steaks with a Coke bottle, then flash fry them. Anything else we tried left them tough as a tire. We never tried slow, long cooking but that would have probably worked as well. Squid, octopus, abalone...Fast and hot or low and slow. Anything inbetween makes for anything you want to be extrtemely durable.

[Bombdog]

I always assumed that conch definitely needed pounding until I had a conch seviche in a Mexican fishing village this past fall - it was unbelievably tender - still had enough tooth but was not at all rubbery like other fresh conch I've had.

I'm wondering how much the citrus had to do with that, if it was involved.