How to cook squid to get rid of the 'urine' flavor? What causes that flavor?
My brother-in-law and his buddy caught a big squid on a fishing trip awhile ago. They fired up a camp fire and proceeded to cook the squid. Once it was done, the took a bite and to their surprise it tasted horrible. They said it had a flavor like urine(I'm not sure why they would know what urine tastes like but since your sense of taste is connected to your sense of smell, when they tasted it it probably invoked memories of the scent of urine).
My question is, what is inside the squid that is causing this 'flavor' when cooked and how do you prepare squid to get rid of this flavor?
update
The squid was Humboldt Squid (aka jumbo squid) ~5 ft long. They were caught live and cleaned, I.e. guts removed. My brother-in-law confirmed the taste as "tasted like piss". :)
Best Answer
According to this site and confirmed by several others I found on the internet, the Humboldt Squid produces ammonia chloride as a defense mechanism, or as a side effect of asphixiation, or maybe both.
I couldn't find terribly reliable advice on how to avoid the contamination, but two points were repeatedly suggested on various bulletin boards:
- When you catch the humboldt squid, cut its head off, clean and ice it immediately (on the boat).
- when cleaning it, be careful not to puncture the swim bladder.
The other suggestion repeatedly offered was to catch some other kind of squid.
Hope that helps. For more 3rd-hand advice, search the internet for "squid ammonia flavor" and you'll see lots of bulletin boards and similar sources.
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Why does calamari smell like ammonia?
Uncooked spoiled seafood can have sour, rancid, fishy, or ammonia odors. These odors become stronger after cooking. If you smell sour, rancid, or fishy odors in raw or cooked seafood, do not eat it.How do you get the fishy taste out of squid?
Lemon will help to get rid of fishy smell and also make the squid's skin brighter. 2) Put 2 teaspoons of vinegar into water that you will use to wash the squid, fish or shrimp and just leave it for 10 mins and wash them by clean water again.Why does squid taste like rubber?
The taste of squid ranges from mild to rubbery. If cooked over medium heat, squid tends to have a mild flavor similar to that of shrimp and lobster. When overcooked, it becomes rubbery which robs it of its unique taste and that of the dish it's prepared with.Do squids smell like ammonia?
Giant squids are often said to effuse a disgusting smell of ammonia. That is because giant squids are among those squid species that keep ammonia in the muscular tissue to enhance buoyancy. It is assumed that giant squids can float in the water that way, without having to invest muscle power.How to Clean \u0026 Prepare Squid At Home - Marion's Kitchen
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Answer 2
I've cleaned many a squid in my day and eaten a few less than I've cleaned. In all my time of cleaning, cooking and eating squid, I've never come across any that smelled or tasted like urine.
Now the typical size of the squid I've had experience with have been about 8 inches in body length. I haven't worked with any that are much larger than that so perhaps that might be a factor in the strange taste.
When squid gets old in the fridge it does give off a smell but urine isn't what it reminds me of.
I guess my next question is how did they clean it? Did they clean the gutts out completely? If they had left any of the gutts inside then that could give off a nasty smell and taste, though I've never cooked up a squid with it's gutts still inside so I'm just speculating. Crab when not cleaned propperly, will give off a strong odour so I'm starting to think it might have come down to preparation.
Answer 3
You should soak it in milk for 4 hours +
Wife a knife scrap off the top layer skin of the squid, like a carrot
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