Introduction

Are you confused between fresh squid and calamari? Let us help you. The word calamari comes from the Italian for “squid.” In Pakistan, calamari generally refers to a battered and deep-fried squid appetizer served in restaurants and bars, though some people use it interchangeably with the main ingredient, the fresh squid.

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 meat is firm and white with a mild, slightly sweet, almost nutty flavor. Small fried squid are often firm and chewy, but they should not be rubbery.

Nomenclature

English Name: Squid, Calamari
Local Name: Maiyya, Shishi Maiyya, Pusit
Scientific Name: Uroteuthis edulis

Habitat

They are found on the continental shelf.

Catching Method

They are caught using bottom trawls.

Physical Attributes

The mantle is elongated, cylindrical anteriorly, and tapering posteriorly to a blunt point. A longitudinal ridge is present along the ventral midline. Fins are large and rhombic with anterior margin slightly convex, posterior margin slightly concave, and lateral angles rounded. A strong pit-like excavation present on the ventral side in between the eye lobes to accommodate the free end of the funnel.

Appearance

Fresh squids are pale reddish-brown with numerous brown colored chromatophores scattered all over the dorsal and ventral mantle, head, arms, and fins.

Size

On average, squids are 50 to 150 grams in weight. However other sizes are also occasionally available.