Thursday, January 24, 2008

Not So Cuddly Cuttlefish


Cuttlefish are marine critters that belong to the same family as squid and octopuses. It is not a fish but a mollusc. Like their relatives, they squirt ink which was once used as a dye called sepia.

Here is a picture of the not-so-cuddly cuttlefish.

This package of cuttlefish, packed in it's own ink, was $2.75 and came from Spain.

We purchased this creature a couple of months ago. At first I was scared to try it - and then it kind of got forgotten about. The other day I put it in the kitchen cupboard, so when my dd asked "what can we have to eat?" (during teatime) I noticed the can of cuttlefish and asked if they wanted that. The reply was an excited affirmative.

The appearance is obviously not something appetizing. It looks kind of muddy and clumpy.


The girl "Rinse off the ink."
The boy "No we want to taste it."
The girl "Well it would be like eating a pen."
The girl "You want to cuddle with it?"

It was decided that the ink would NOT be washed away. The girl poked her finger in the ink and tried writing with it.

As usual 2/3 of us liked the cuttlefish. Dd when looking at the cuttlefish "...I think I see...it couldn't be! (suction cups on a piece)...it tastes very suction cup-ful...it tastes like sardines." When I asked her if she liked it she made a loud slurping sound and said "Delish! It was VERY good!"

Ds said "I don't really like it...tastes like oysters."

I liked the cuttlefish, despite its appearance. Though it had a strong fishy smell, the flavor was not very fishy...actually it didn't have much flavor. It wasn't oily and rubbery like I thought it would be.

There is a recipe on the back of the box for "Cuttle Fish and Rice" which I think would be tasty. It would be especially cool if it turned the rice another color.

4 comments:

Lynda said...

Cuttlefish is quite popular in Australia at the moment - I had it at an exclusive restaurant on the water just before I left.. as a starter - A Salad with fresh mango. It was quickly pan fried like you would calamarie or squid. Quite delicious,but not my favorite food. Can't imagine it in a can or with Ink... you kids are the BEST just for trying it!

J said...

Hi Edi, I saw your message on Scribbit, and I'm wondering about the book you're reading about homesteading in Alaska...I would be interested in reading it! We moved to Fairbanks in 1970 to homestead for a few years, and though I was only 4 1/2 at the time, I would be interested in seeing how closely this families experience mirrors my own. Maybe you could email me, or come to my blog, and tell me the name of the book? :)

Anonymous said...

I grew up in Hawaii and we frequently ate dried cuttle fish, fish cake, udon, etc.. I still love to eat the dried cuttle fish.

Ice Cream said...

Your kids are so awesome to try something like this.