How to clean & prepare seafood

Whole calamari

•   Hold the calamari tube in one hand and the head and tentacles in the other, and pull to separate.

•   Hold the head upside down and allow the tentacles to spread open. Squeeze the head hard until the beak pops out. Pinch the beak off between your fingers and discard.

•   Chop the tentacles off just below the eyes. Discard the head and eyes and reserve the tentacles.

•   Pull the plastic-like quill out from inside the calamari tube.

•   Rinse the tube under cold running water and rub off the skin. Pull off the wings and discard.

•   See below for different ways to further prepare the calamari for cooking.

TO SLICE INTO RINGS

Lay the calamari tubes on a chopping board and slice into rings about the width of a fingernail.

TO MAKE PIECES THAT CURL UP WHEN COOKED

Put a sharp cook’s knife inside the tube right to the end, then put your hand on top to hold it in place. Run the sharp end of the blade up the tube to slice open like a book. Score, but don’t cut right through, the inside of the tube in diagonal cuts all the way along the surface. Then score in the opposite direction, cross-scoring the calamari to create a diamond shape.

TO COOK WHOLE ON THE BARBECUE

Take two sharp cook’s knives and put one inside the tube right to the end and leave it there to act as a barrier. With the other knife, make a few slashes along the body of the tube, cutting through to the blade of the first knife. You can just score one side, or turn the tube over and do the same on the other side.

Small oily fish, such as sardines, baby mullet & anchovies

TO CLEAN THE FISH

•   Use a paper towel or your fingers to pinch off the scales, then rinse under cold running water.

•   Slice off the head and discard.

•   Slit the fish open by running a sharp knife down the belly side from the head to the tail.

•   Pull out the guts and discard.

•   Wash the cavity under cold running water.

TO OPEN THE FISH INTO A BUTTERFLY FILLET

•   Open the cavity as much as possible then place the fish, open belly side down, onto the work surface.

•   Push down with the palm of your hand quite firmly, starting at the tail, and work your way up the body of the fish until it is completely flat. You will feel the backbone cracking in the process.

•   Turn the fish over and pull up the backbone. Snip it off at the tail with a pair of scissors and discard.