Cuttlefish

Introduction

Are you confused between fresh squid and fresh cuttlefish? Do they look the same to you? Wait, let us clear the confusion. Fresh cuttlefish or simply Cuttle is neither like a body fish nor is it very cuddly like an octopus. It is a relative of the squid and octopus that is beloved in the Mediterranean and  Southeast Asia.

Cuttlefish, perhaps a lesser-known relative of octopus and squid is commonly eaten in Asia and is also very popular across Mediterranean Europe. Cuttlefish are used by humans as food, as a source of ink, and for the cuttlebone, a dietary supplement providing calcium for cage birds.

Although squid and cuttlefish look similar, squids have a flexible, feather-shaped structure inside their bodies called the pen, where cuttlefish have a broader internal shell called the cuttlebone. Squid are fast-moving predators, where cuttlefish are slower and move by undulating long fins on the sides of their bodies

Approx. more than 200 species of squid live in the world’s oceans, but fewer than a dozen make up nearly the entire global market for culinary use. A mollusk related to both the cuttlefish and the octopus, fresh squid may be marketed as calamari in Pakistan as an attempt to make it sound more upscale (and worth a higher price tag), but there’s no actual difference.

Flavor Profile

The flavor of cuttlefish is a cross between octopus and squid. They are fuller flavored than calamari but not nearly as rich as their rivals, the octopus.

Nomenclature

English Name: Cuttlefish, Cuttle
Local Name: Cuttle, Maiyya, Dimiri
Scientific Name: Sepiida

Habitat

They are usually found in subtidal regions

Catching Method

They are caught using bottom trawls.

Physical Attributes

Cuttlefish have large, W-shaped pupils, eight arms, and two tentacles furnished with denticulated suckers, with which they secure their prey.

Appearance

Generally, cuttlefish is greyish-brown. The skin of cuttlefish changes colors rapidly using elastic pigment sacs called chromatophores, to evade predators.

Size

On average, cuttlefish are 500 to 2000 grams in weight. However other sizes are also occasionally available.