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Sekai Gohan
Ika no Shiokara: Japanese Squid Cured in Salt with Its Innards
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese flying squid (surumeika), whole and fresh | 2 | The body becomes the strips; the innards become the curing paste |
| Natural salt (tennen-en) | Plenty, as needed | Buries the innards and draws out their liquid while they cure |
Steps
1Draw out the legs and innards
Slide a finger into the body and free the clear cartilage from the inside wall. Hold the body in one hand and pull the legs out slowly and steadily; the innards come with them. Cut the innards free from the legs and lift off the ink sac without breaking anything. Remove the mouth, eyes and large suckers from the legs and set the legs aside. You are done when the innards sit on the board in one intact piece and the ink sac is off unbroken.
2Open, skin and freeze the body
Cut the body open down the center and wipe the inside clean. Peel off the thin outer skin, and cut the fins off at the base into four pieces to set aside with the legs. Pat the body dry very thoroughly, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it at −4°F (−20°C) or colder for at least 24 hours. It stays in the freezer while the innards cure. The body is ready to wrap when a fresh paper towel comes away from it dry.
3Bury the innards in salt
Spread a thick bed of salt in a clean sealed container. Lay the innards on top and cover them generously with more salt, turning them so every surface is coated. Close the lid and put the container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. When you close the lid, no part of the innards should show through the salt.
4Remove the liquid every day
Once a day, take the container out and open it. Spoon off or blot up all the liquid that has gathered, then close the lid and return it to the fridge straight away. This daily step is what keeps the shiokara from smelling fishy. Each time, the bottom of the container should be free of pooled liquid before the lid goes back on.
The daily liquid decides the flavourSet a fixed time, such as when you make breakfast. A skipped day leaves the innards sitting in their own liquid, and that is where a fishy, flat taste comes from.
5Thaw and cut the body
On the final day, take the body out of the freezer and let it thaw on its own, still wrapped. Cut it lengthwise into four pieces, then slice each piece across into thin strips. Keep the knife sharp so it slices cleanly rather than tearing. The strips are right when they are thin, even and translucent white.
6Rinse and pound the innards
Rinse the salt off the innards under water and pat them dry. Slit them open down the center and scrape the contents away from the thin membrane, leaving the membrane behind. Pound the scraped innards well with the spine of the knife. Stop when you have a smooth, dark orange-brown paste with no lumps.
Use the spine, not the edgeThe back of the knife crushes the innards into paste without cutting them into bits. Keep pounding until the paste spreads smoothly on the board.
7Mix and pack
Put the squid strips and the innard paste in a bowl. Mix them well with a clean rubber spatula, folding from the bottom until every strip is coated. Pack the shiokara into a clean sealed container and refrigerate it. It is ready when every strip is glossy and reddish brown, with no pale patches left.