Introduction
Are you confused between fresh squid and fresh cuttlefish? Do they look the same to you? Wait, let us clear the confusion. Fresh cuttlefish or simply Cuttle is neither like a body fish nor is it very cuddly like an octopus. It is a relative of the squid and octopus that is beloved in the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia.
Cuttlefish, perhaps a lesser-known relative of octopus and squid is commonly eaten in Asia and is also very popular across Mediterranean Europe. Cuttlefish are used by humans as food, as a source of ink, and for the cuttlebone, a dietary supplement providing calcium for cage birds.
Although squid and cuttlefish look similar, squids have a flexible, feather-shaped structure inside their bodies called the pen, where cuttlefish have a broader internal shell called the cuttlebone. Squid are fast-moving predators, where cuttlefish are slower and move by undulating long fins on the sides of their bodies
Approx. more than 200 species of squid live in the world’s oceans, but fewer than a dozen make up nearly the entire global market for culinary use. A mollusk related to both the cuttlefish and the octopus, fresh squid may be marketed as calamari in Pakistan as an attempt to make it sound more upscale (and worth a higher price tag), but there’s no actual difference.
Flavor Profile
The flavor of cuttlefish is a cross between octopus and squid. They are fuller flavored than calamari but not nearly as rich as their rivals, the octopus.
Nomenclature
English Name: Cuttlefish, Cuttle
Local Name: Cuttle, Maiyya, Dimiri
Scientific Name: Sepiida
Habitat
They are usually found in subtidal regions
Catching Method
They are caught using bottom trawls.
Physical Attributes
Cuttlefish have large, W-shaped pupils, eight arms, and two tentacles furnished with denticulated suckers, with which they secure their prey.
Appearance
Generally, cuttlefish is greyish-brown. The skin of cuttlefish changes colors rapidly using elastic pigment sacs called chromatophores, to evade predators.
Size
On average, cuttlefish are 500 to 2000 grams in weight. However other sizes are also occasionally available.
Cleaning Preferences
Cuttlefish needs to clean like a squid. A cut just below the eyes to free the legs, cutting out of the little beak the cuttlefish eats with, removing the icky stuff within the head, and taking out the “cuttlebone,” a hard centerpiece of cartilage that many cage birds love to chew on.
Approx. Cleaning Yields
- Whole: 100 %
- Fully cleaned: 30 %
Cooking Preferences
Cuttlefish, like squid, can be cooked in either one of two ways—in a ragingly hot pan for 2 to 3 minutes or stewed for the better part of 2 hours.
Health Benefits
- Heart friendly
- Lowers Blood Pressure
- Improves Immune System
- Strengthens the bones
- Improves Skin and Hair health
