Welcome to The Cornish Fish Co, one of the best places you can find frozen fish home delivery. Today we’re going to look at the difference between calamari & cuttlefish. Calamari is often confused with cuttlefish, mainly because they belong to the same family. In this blog, we aim to shed a bit of light on how these creatures differ. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you’ll be able to tell them apart with just a glance!
What is Cuttlefish?
Similar to the octopus and squid, cuttlefish is a marine mollusc that is in the same family. A cuttlebone is an internal shell which is unique to cuttlefish. Cuttlefish also have 10 tentacles which are significantly smaller than the calamari.
Their eyes have a W shape which is mainly due to them being colour blind. As they only see in black and white, these eyes help them to recognise prey (they are carnivores).
What is Calamari?
Calamari is also known as squid. It is a mollusc which falls into the cephalopod family list, similar to octopus or cuttlefish. The only major difference is that selling ‘a plate of calamari’ in a restaurant sounds significantly better than a ‘plate of squid’. Calamari is usually quite expensive in comparison to cuttlefish, this is mainly because it is always in high demand.
Calamari has a cuttlebone that helps to keep it underwater and it has the potential to move fast in water as compared to the cuttlefish. It usually has 2 tentacles and 8 arms that can suck. The most distinctive difference is its circular eyes.
Price, taste & texture
Calamari is tender overall whereas the cuttlefish is much tougher and that is why they are cooked differently. Calamari is suitable for frying whereas cuttlefish is more suitable for stews. Cuttlefish has a sweeter taste in comparison to calamari. Due to the high demand for calamari, it’s usually expensive.
How To Clean Cuttlefish And Calamari
Step 1
Start by removing the head from the cuttlefish or calamari. To do this simply hold the tail using one hand and the head with another hand. Start pulling the head from the rest of the body using the twisting motion. The head will eventually slip off together with the innards.
Step 2
Remove the head and innards and throw them away. Make sure you only remain with the tentacles and the body tubes, these are the only edible parts of the cuttlefish or calamari.
Step 3
The next step is to cut the tentacles of the cuttlefish or the calamari. Make sure you remove the beak as it is simply a bone. It adds nothing when cooked. To remove the beak simply squeeze the connective tissue at the top and the beak will come off since the head would have been removed.
Step 4
When you have finished removing the head and the tentacles, the next step is to remove either the cuttlebone or the pen, depending on whether you are cleaning a cuttlefish or calamari. You can simply use your fingers to pull it out, it should come out easily.
Step 5
Remove the skin membrane from the cuttlefish or calamari. Simply use your fingers to do that the skin should just come off easily. When you have peeled off the skin, wash the insides of the cuttlefish or calamari and pull out any residual innards that could be stuck inside. When you have done that you can cut your calamari or cuttlefish and cook it as desired.
Frozen Fish Home Delivery
Cuttlefish calamari is a great alternative to squid/calamari. It’s caught in abundance off the Cornish coast and freshly supplied to us here at The Cornish Fish Co. If you’re interested in trying out some succulent cuttlefish calamari and taking advantage of our frozen fish home delivery, head to our website and get your order in!
