Handling Instructions for Loligo Squid

Loligo squid should be stored frozen at or below 0°F (-18°C) and then thawed properly when ready to cook.  Loligo squid should be Stored in the freezer in the original package or in a plastic wrap or a tight fitting plastic bag for product that has been removed from the original packaging.  This will help prevent freezer burn (dehydration).  Our loligo squid has an 18 month IQF and a 24 month block frozen shelf life.  Links to proper seafood handling instructions:  NOAA - Fish Watch: Handling Seafood and A Consumer Guide to Safe Seafood Handling.

Thawing Loligo Squid

Loligo squid should be thawed under refrigeration between 33 and 39°F until it is completely thawed.  The thawing time is dependent upon if the squid is IQF or block frozen.  IQF squid will thaw within 24 hours and block frozen will take up to 48 hrs.  This thawing technique is preferred to preserve product moisture and flavor, however, IQF squid can be run under cold water and thawed within minutes.  Block frozen squid can be placed in a tight fitting plastic bag and submerged in a cold water bath to expedite thawing.

Important Instructions for Loligo Squid

Thawed loligo squid should be used immediately or within 1-2 days due to the fact that squid in general has a relatively short thawed shelf life.

Cooking Tips

Loligo Squid should be cooked very quickly to avoid becoming rubbery in texture (two minutes or less at high heat).  If your recipe calls for a slow cook process or you want to include loligo squid in a seafood cioppino, then be sure to cook it for 20+ minutes to achieve tenderness.  Link to cooking tips and recipes.

China

With more than 1.3 billion people, China is today the world’s most populous country. With a growing economy fueling an appetite for seafood, China has begun importing seafood for in-country consumption, as well as exporting a great deal of its production.  In fact, since 2002, China has continued to export more fish and fishery products than any other country in the world, with Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea as its main export markets.

Chinese distant water fishing activities started in 1985 when China gained access to new fishing grounds through agreements with foreign countries. China operates vessels in West Africa, the North Pacific, and tuna longline vessels in the South Pacific.  In addition, squid are harvested in the Japan Sea, the South Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and the North Pacific under Chinese-flagged vessels.  Squid is also imported directly from India and Pakistan for processing.

Carp are also commercially important, as are bream, shad, eel, catfish, rainbow trout, salmon, whitebait, mullet, mandarin fish, perch, sturgeon, and murrel (snakehead).  Commercial shellfish include Saltwater & freshwater shrimp, river crabs, and mollusks such as mussels, clams, oysters, and freshwater snails.

Thailand

 With more than 1,550 miles of coastline, Thailand—officially, the Kingdom of Thailand—has become one of the world’s leading seafood suppliers.  Primary seafood products from Thailand include cultured (farmed) shrimp sold in various value-added forms as well as canned seafood—predominantly tuna.

With a focus on constant improvement of shrimp farming techniques to reduce impacts on the environment, as well as the development of new, value-added products, Thailand has emerged over the years as one of the leaders in this beloved seafood category.

In the tuna category, Thailand is a major global producer of canned tuna, much of it caught by vessels from other countries that bring it, frozen, to Thailand to be canned.

Vietnam

With a coastline of 2,140 miles, as well as numerous rivers and lakes, Vietnam has had a long tradition of fishing and a culinary tradition that includes finfish, shellfish, and molluscan shellfish.

Bordering China in the far North, and Laos and Cambodia in the middle and Southern regions, the country—known officially as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam—is divided into 58 provinces, and includes several major sea ports.

With seafood production surpassing USD $6 billion in 2012, seafood—both cultured and wild—represents an important export for this developing country.

Major seafood exports from Vietnam include cultured and wild shrimp:  Black Tiger prawns and Penaeus vannamei are grown in Southeast Vietnam, and small white and pink shrimp are still commercially caught in the South China Sea off the southern coast.

In addition, Vietnam is becoming known for its high-tech seafood processing industry, adding value to commercially harvested and farmed fish and seafood.

Species that are commercially caught include Grouper, Red Snapper, Red Mullet, Tuna, Swordfish, and Barramundi—which are the major species that are exported to Australia, the United States, and the EU. Vietnam is also a major producer of farmed Tilapia, and two species of Pangisius (boucourti and hypothalamus). Squid and octopus, as well as various species of lobster and crab and molluscan  shellfish are also major export products as well as products consumed in-country.