Only a few decades ago people did not consider calamari worth eating and they were caught mainly for fishing bait or discarding as unwanted by catch, they are now considered excellent eating and one of the most sought after creatures in the sea.
Calamari was almost an unknown as a culinary delight in our area of the world until European migrants settled around Geelong in the 1940s’. Now its just about on every bistro menu in town. But be aware, unfortunately today many of the squid or calamari sold in restaurants and even fish and chips shops are not real squid, they are a processed mixture of fish and flavours, a bit like a chicken nugget, one reason is cost, the other one is ease of cooking. If messed up calamari can become very tough. A real calamari fillet when prepared properly is like nothing else- absolutely delicious.
Calamari fishing is now a very popular recreational activity especially on the long piers around our region like at Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale. Squid are caught from jetties, piers and boats using baited or artificial squid jigs as lures on the end of hand lines or long bamboo poles. They seem to be attracted to anything shining in the sun.
Strict recreational bag limits of ten squid (all species) per person per day applies in Victorian waters. Each angler may use up to four lines at any one time for squid, with a maximum of two squid jigs attached to each line.
Calamari or Squid are very aggressive and fast-moving predators, attacking small fish and other mobile organisms. They are voracious feeders and will eat large quantities of prey, if available, in a short time. It is not uncommon to have a squid trying to gobble down a fish on the end of your line that you have just caught.
The squid is a marine molluscs called cephalopods. This group includes octopus, cuttlefish and nautilus. Calamari have 10 arms rising from the head, eight of which contain two rows of suckers. The remaining pair are longer than the rest and only have a series of large suckers on nodules at the ends of the arms. Calamari can swim at great speed by jetting out water from the mantle cavity, and when in danger they emit a black ink to aid in their escape. It’s a good idea to cover your bucket when you catch a squid, as the slippery creature can get out returning quickly to the sea.
Ensure you check with authorities before taking any seafood from our waters as rules and regulations and change on a regular basis, including where you can fish and even what bait you can use.
Intown’s Stir Fried Squid with Black Bean Sauce
This recipe is one of our favourites and a great way to enjoy a tasty fresh squid.
To serve 4 people you need about 750 grams of squid meat use the cylinders, and discard the tentacles , 1 large capsicum, 1 bok choy, 3 tablespoons of black bean sauce, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of rice wine, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of corn flour, 1 tablespoon of oil, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 2 spring onions and a teaspoon of crushed ginger and garlic. Open up the squid meat and score cross ways with a sharp knife making a diamond pattern and slice into bite size pieces. Drain squid and sprinkle with flour. Chop the vegetables into bite size pieces, Mix the fish sauce, black bean, wine, sugar and sesame oil together. Heat a large wok add the oil, followed by the garlic and ginger, stir in the vegetables until nearly cooked, Remove, add the sauces followed by the squid. Cook for about 1 minute before returning the vegetables, mix well and serve at once.
