Preparing Cuttlefish

Appears in

Published 2012

Grasp the cuttlebone, through the tube, between thumb and forefinger and twist. The cuttlebone will cut through the skin and come away easily; discard the bone.
Using your thumb to split the firm flesh away from the membrane, tear the tube open along the line where the cuttlebone was, starting from the base.
Working from one side, break the intestinal sac (with arms and tentacles attached) away from the tube.
Cut below the eyes; discard eyes and everything above them. Rinse, especially if the ink sac is broken. The arms and tentacles can also be washed and used.
Push the beak (mouth) out from between the arms.
Place the tube on a chopping board, skin-side down. Grasp a small side fin on one side and, using your thumb to separate the skin from the flesh, peel the flesh away from skin.
Lay out flat and, working across the tube (not from top to bottom), wipe both sides firmly with paper towel to remove any remaining membrane. To honeycomb, (see Step 8 of of preparing squid). If slicing tubes that haven’t been honeycombed, cut from the top to the bottom of the tube to prevent curling.