I’m picking up some this afternoon. Any advice about how to prepare it? Something simple, like a quick boil, is what I’m leaning toward.
Lucky you.
We had some last time we were in Toyama city.
I would boil them (remove the eyes, if not already removed), let cool, then toss with a white wine vinegar, miso, and white pepper marinade, and garnish with some wakame seaweed before serving.
Thanks, that is pretty much the exact the recipe I just saw online. I only have brown miso and nori (and kombu). Should I buy more stuff? Should I wing it? Decisions, decisions.
I’d trust your wings any day!
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This.
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I will not horrify anyone with what the process of cleaning firefly squid entails (it does not stop with eye removal, which is the easy part), but suffice it to say I have acquired a disgusting new skill.
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Thank you. I’ll take your word for it.
Looking fwd to the results of your icky labor, tho.
A mise en place is essential for this.
Are you saying that it involves more than this?
That is it.
You would know better than I, but that seems minor compared to cleaning ordinary squid. Just MHO,
I have cleaned regulation size squid as well, and this was gross in a different way.
If we’re using “mise en place” to mean “plastic bag” and “bowl of ice water,” then yes.
Did you leave the innards in, other than the cartilage? That was the part that grossed me out when I was reading about it.
Yeah, the guts don’t bother me with such a small thing. I had guts from a regular size squid in a place on (I think) E. 4th years ago, and that was definitely a one and done.
Whereas I cannot comment about preparing firefly squid (known as hotaru ika in Japanese), I’ve had it in a few forms when in Japan (I believe they’re in season in late spring/early summer).
In addition to amuse-bouche at izakaya, I’ve had them in senbei (basically, the cephalopod gets squished and baked to the same width as the cracker), jerky, and likely with mayonnaise somewhere.
But yes, as noted earlier, Toyama prefecture is their favored home in Japan.
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Saw that. I relied more on the video that @pilgrim linked to - easier to see the carnage.
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If I find myself in the position to acquire and clean some of these, I will definitely give the video a go!
