Sushi for everyone. Sushi Walker is Japan's largest sushi media.

Ika (Squid) Sushi

Squid / Cuttlefish

Squid & Octopus

Share Post LINE

Phylum Mollusca, Class Cephalopoda, Superorder Decapodiformes

They live in all sea areas around the world, from shallow seas to the deep sea, and many are nocturnal and can freely change their body color. There are nearly 450 species, divided into two orders: the Sepiida, which have a cuttlebone, and the Teuthida, which do not.

The squid is a mollusk that lives in all seas, with eight arms and two tentacles, ranging in size from 2 cm to 20 m. Like the octopus, it spews ink when fleeing, but whereas the octopus's ink is thin for use as a smokescreen, the squid's ink is high in viscosity because its purpose is to confuse the opponent by spewing out something shaped similarly to its body. It can freely change its body color, and while alive it is translucent, but as time passes after death it turns cloudy white. Japan is the world's largest squid-consuming nation, accounting for nearly 50% of the world's consumption, and besides the Japanese spineless cuttlefish seen year-round, various squid line the market through all four seasons, such as the bigfin reef squid and swordtip squid that appear in spring and the spear squid of autumn. The chewy texture of squid and the sweetness that comes out the more you chew are supported by many people and have made it a standard sushi topping, but in the old days it was basically eaten boiled or simmered, and raw squid is said to have begun being made into nigiri sushi in the early Showa era. Species often seen as squid sushi include the Japanese flying squid, which is affordable for ordinary people yet good in flavor; the golden cuttlefish, a sushi restaurant standard with its ink-covered appearance and pure white flesh; the large, delicious, and expensive bigfin reef squid; the swordtip squid, also expensive and known for its elegant sweetness; the spear squid, prized when carrying eggs; the kisslip cuttlefish, characterized by its cat-eye-shaped markings; and the firefly squid, mainly boiled on the shore and eaten whole in one bite. There are also many other species such as the neon flying squid, the little Japanese cuttlefish, the broadclub cuttlefish, the diamondback squid, and the beka squid. It is basically eaten with soy sauce, but eating it with salt brings out the sweetness more, so some sushi restaurants serve it with salt sprinkled on.

The cuts in the squid

The cuts made in raw squid sushi are not only to bring out the umami when chewed and to make it easier to eat by making fine incisions, but also to deal with Anisakis, a parasite that infests squid and is not killed by soy sauce or wasabi. At conveyor-belt sushi and the like, there are often no cuts, because frozen products are used, so the presence of decorative knife cuts can be said to be a point for telling that the squid is not frozen.

Edomae squid sushi with decorative knife cuts

The great adventure of the squid's ancestors

The nautilus, called a living fossil, and the extinct ammonite are cephalopods like squid and octopus, and it is thought that the squid's ancestors also had shells.
Long ago, the squid's ancestors lived on the seafloor, but over an unimaginably long period of time, they used their shells as floats, then tucked the shells inside their bodies, and eventually even lost them, gaining the power to swim and evolving into their present form. There are species that have something called a cuttlebone inside the tubular part of the squid, and this is said to be a remnant of the shell. Squid are known for their developed muscles and good athletic reflexes, but perhaps this was caused by the desire of the squid's ancestors who grew tired of seafloor life and set out on an adventure? Living creatures are truly mysterious things.