A squid quill
The squid industry has its own lingo, and there are two phrases everyone should know about: traditionally cleaned and fully cleaned.
A cleaned squid will fall into either category, and it’s important to understand the difference, especially when it comes to placing orders.
Traditionally cleaned and fully cleaned squid both have the head, internal organs, skin, and quill are removed. The tentacles are saved with each kind of cleaned squid; traditionally cleaned style typically have a little more head meat left on, but they are similar. The main difference comes down to the wings.
Traditionally Cleaned Squid
In traditionally cleaned squid, the “wings” (or the “fins”) aren’t removed. The squid wings are edible, however chefs aren’t able to make calamari rings from the wings, and they are often discarded as waste.
Fully Cleaned Squid
In the fully cleaned style, the squid’s wings are removed, and they can be removed either by pulling or cutting them off the tube. Once the squid is fully cleaned, all that remains are its tentacles and tube. A fully cleaned tube reduces end user waste if wings are going to be discarded, and saves operator labor costs when making rings.
At this time, The Town Dock offers fully cleaned calamari, as most of our customers prefer this cut. We offer a variety of imported and domestic options, as well as steaks, strips, and whole squid. Browse all of our products here.