Three Easy Bar Snacks with Frozen Squid

Good evening! It's Yoko.

The surume squid (Japanese flying squid) I ate for dinner the other day was so good that I'm writing about it.

This squid is "funato ika," squid that's flash-frozen on the boat right after being landed, so it's incredibly fresh!

I got it through Japan's hometown tax donation program (furusato nozei)!

I still have 4 more squid in the fridge, but today I made three easy dishes, mostly sashimi.

Surume squid sashimi (ginger soy sauce and liver soy sauce)

Surume squid sashimi (ginger soy sauce and liver soy sauce). It's sashimi, so all you do is slice it and grate some ginger (lol), but it's fresh and delicious!

You can find how to clean a surume squid on YouTube and elsewhere, so have a look.

I forgot to take a photo, so this is a snapshot of the video...

This is the liver soy sauce. It includes the membrane of the liver, so it's a bit uneven,

and I think straining it to remove the membrane would make it prettier.

For home use, though, I wouldn't worry about it too much! Up to you.

Add about 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of sake to the liver and mix. Add grated ginger if you like.

There's no off-flavor and it's honestly so delicious it'll surprise you.

Squid with egg yolk and soy sauce

It's exactly what the title says (lol).

The taste is completely junky! (in a good way)

Ahh, I suddenly want rice...

Let's add natto too.

Add a few pieces of sashimi to this and it becomes "bakudan" ("bomb"), a popular drinking snack.

Nutritionally, squid and natto are both rich in protein, so I recommend this for people on a diet or who work out.

Surume squid sauteed in butter with liver soy sauce

This is so delicious that I really want you to make it!!

We have fresh squid liver, so it would be a waste not to use it.

The key is not to overcook it if you want it to stay tender.

Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a frying pan and saute the squid legs over medium heat.

When they've just started to change color, add the liver and 1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce.

One or two minutes of cooking in total is plenty.

Sprinkle with chopped scallions and it's done.

The umami of the liver soy sauce combined with the richness of the butter is so good it makes your eyes go wide!

And the butter adds a slightly Western touch, so it can even be a pasta sauce!

It would definitely go well with a baguette too!

This time I was full, so I cleaned up every last bit with steamed potatoes.

Potato skin has flavor, so I peel only half.

In a microwave, wrap them in plastic wrap, put them in a Lekue steamer or a Ziploc container, and cook at 600 W for 3 minutes.

Leaving them for about 3 more minutes to cool makes them even moister.

I think you could add extra butter too.

The potatoes soak up the sauce so you can enjoy every last bit.

I don't think you'll forget it once you've made it.

Surume squid is packed with nutrition

I don't usually eat much squid, but after making all these dishes, I've nearly become a surume squid fan (what's that, lol).

Maybe because it's frozen right after being caught, the freshness was almost the same as what you get at a restaurant, which surprised me.

It has not only protein but also lots of taurine (the ingredient made famous by a certain energy drink, known for boosting stamina and recovery from fatigue) and zinc (which supports immunity and reduces stress), so I have a feeling I'll be eating more of it...

Frozen surume squid from Sakata, Yamagata

This time I used boat-frozen squid from Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture.

It's incredibly fresh, so I highly recommend it for people who can only eat fresh sashimi
(which is exactly me),

or anyone who wants to try cleaning a surume squid!

Instructions for cleaning it are included too.

Thank you for the delicious surume squid (^o^)/

I still have plenty in the freezer for a while, so I'll enjoy it as fritters, simmered dishes and more!