Offalgood

Chef Chris Cosentino’s educational and inspirational tool for those who are interested in learning about and cooking with offal.
Giant Squid

Giant Humboldt Squid

Having worked with the same fish purveyor for over 10 years they kind of have an idea what I like. So when Chris called me from ports seafood and said he had giant squid from Humboldt averaging 30lb each I jumped at the chance to get them. Once I had this giant squid at the restaurant I was amazed at how big it really is, it really makes me not want to go swimming.  Chris later explained to me that they are caught when there is a current shift and they come up from warmer waters. To keep thing easy on how to cook this giant squid I have included a photo guide.

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Leave a Comment (16)

  1. Gotta ask–so what did you do with the squid offal (or the equivalent)? The fifth photo shows some interesting looking body parts hanging out!

    jkm | | Reply
  2. Was it a squid from Humboldt County or a Humboldt squid caught in the Humboldt current?
    Just curious.

    Kim | | Reply
  3. Yeah, I got the awesome chance to eat that amazing fucker on Saturday Night. Chris, that was the best squid I’ve ever eaten in my life and when I was in Sushi school I ate a lot of squid.

    I’m glad Natanya sent me your way, that was a great dinner.

    Evan Leichtling | | Reply
  4. Offal??? This thing’s all over supermarkets in Mexico as “filete de calamar” (squid fillet). It’s like supersized calamari, and it’s delicious. The head & tentacles are good eating too, in their own ink, a la vizcaina or Oriental style. Humboldt squid FTW!

    Hans | | Reply
  5. offal refers to the guts and slimey innards. LIke you can eat cow stomach….if you are either brave or hungry

    there were some wierd looking body parts in that picture….

    Kevin | | Reply
  6. Giant squid… holy toledo. One, that’s an awesome picture. Two, you take tentacles to a whole new level. Yum.

    Kat Pinello | | Reply
  7. The Humbolt squid perplexes me how to cook it. I will try this way. Can you presser cook?

    Linda Ikuta | | Reply
  8. My husband just went fishing for giant humboldt squid at Bodega bay last Friday and brought home so much of it, we have no idea how to cook it and so far the few ways we’ve tried have not turned out too tasty. You show pictures on your site but do you have any recipes of how to cook it?
    Thank you
    Cindy

    Cindy Eggleston | | Reply
  9. I’m like Cindy, lots of squid but no way to cook them properly. Have nice steaks but taste terrible. Need recepies.
    thanks Juan

    Juan Dominguez | | Reply
  10. The last photo seems to be not squid offal as it is described. Those silvery things look like small fish which are usually found in squid, part of their meal. Or am I wrong?

    crescente | | Reply
  11. Me and my buddy went out on 2/07/2010 and brought home 120#s of the giant squid. I sold most of it to local Asian restaurants but saved about 20#s for myself. Here is one good recipe that I did. I have a Lap band so I needed to find a way to make it easy for me to get down. This one I made for S*perbowl Sunday.

    2 Cups Buttermilk
    2# Chopped up Squid Parts
    2 cloves Garlic
    1/4 chopped onion
    2T Red Hot Hot sauce
    2 Cups Panko Bread crumbs
    2 Eggs
    2 Cups soy flour ( or all purpose)
    4 Cups Veggie oil for frying

    1. Soak Squid in buttermilk at least 24 hours
    2. Place Squid, garlic, onion and hot sauce in a food processor till it looks like pudding (don’t worry this will turn out fantastic!)
    3. Scoop 1 Tablespoon at a time into flour,eggs then panko bread crumbs, set aside on clean plate till oil reaches 375 degrees.
    4. Fry about 2-3 minutes or till golden brown.Place on paper towel to drain excess oil.
    5. Keep warm in 180 degree oven till served
    Serve with cocktail sauce or any favorite dipping sauce.

    * Note- It’s almost impossible to mess this up and you don’t have to worry about over cooking, because the squid is ground up.

    This recipe can also be baked at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes if you don’t want to fry it.

    Hope this is helpful!
    Enjoy!
    Chef Andy Larsen Covina Ca.

    andy larsen | | Reply
  12. I’m happy! It’s pleasant to see somebody very educated about what they do. Hold up the fantastic do the job and I’ll return for much more! Thank you!

    Jay Bernes | | Reply
  13. Fantastic recipe (andy larsen’s one as well)

    I have never had the chance to deal with one of these monsters, so my experience goes as far as the regular size squid you can find anywhere. Much easier task I would assume.

    My recipe is quite similar, less the anchovies, plus potatoes, it becomes an excellent soup to have on a cold winter night.

    I will try this recipe as soon as possible, thanks for sharing!

    Filippo | | Reply