Unwashed Squid??

[yatoes]

Hi fellow danglers
Sorry to revive this but I use squid an awful lot so thought this unwashed squid sounded the dogs ******* but try as hard you like nobody in the South wales area even heard of it let alone know where to find it !!!! I am beginning to think that it was all an April fool thing cos why would a wholesale fishmonger (and I have asked a few) buy in a product that is unfit for consumption !!!????? If it is to supply the angling trade why is that people in the angling trade arent being supplied ?? !!! Perhaps I am missing something but I suspect there is a bit of skullduggery here somewhere.
Before somebody comes out with" it is imported for longliners" --I cant see any dealer going to the trouble of ordering and importing just a few boxes to supply the odd couple of commercial longliners that would want it .
I aint calling anybody a liar (so dont take offence I been wrong before) but I do seriously think that me and a few others have definitely been April fooled:) :) :)
YATOES

[dabcatcher]

to be honest i always assumed that the 1lb and 5lb boxes sold by fishmongers and tackler shops was unwashed as the squid had head, guts and skin attatched. frozen at sea and even had ink in the juices. these are for human consumption, after preparing.

my local tesco sells washed squid.... head, guts and skin removed. jast the pure white tubes. i wouldnt use them as all the goodness has been taken away for fishing.

i think this latest .... " unwashed " squid thing is the same as "organic" food. if it becomes trendy they will charge more for the same stuff.

how come thousands of anglers have used these boxes of squid from the fishmongers for years to good effect and all of a sudden its not fit for human consumption. they sell the stuff for consumption. anglers just happen to also use it for bait.

[OneCodBob]

Yeah! Un- washed squid, what a load of (edits). We will have some clown trying to tell us that the pink (edit) rhymes with kite are virgin squid next.
Anyone used those self peeling, self hooking, gaurenteed to catch, Un-shaven crabs yet?:unsure:

Oh yeh! look out for the self tying rigs too!:laugh:

OCB.

[yatoes]

Hi all - - :unsure: had a message on my answering m/c yesterday (Saturday) from a wholesale fishmonger and I quote " If it isnt marked fit for Human consumption he wouldnt deal with it :yucky: and he suspects it would probably be illegal in case it finds its way into the human food chain"!!!which reinforces my belief that so called unwashed squid is nothing more than ordinary ordinary Washed squid that has been repackaged cos it is unfit for human consumption for some reason such as out of date or previously defrosted (hence the colour not white):yucky: .
As I said before in opening thread I could be wrong but it seems to me to be a load of moonshine as I have yet to find anybody who can give me a definite answer as to who is importing unwashed squid and why :secret: cos they cant sell it to anybody except anglers and none of the angling shops that I have spoken to are being supplied:g: and surely if somebody is importing it he would have to import large ammounts to make it worthwhile?!

[MikeR]

I used it on a boat a couple of years ago (skipper supplied) and it does look very different to the normal squid you buy. It really is fantastic stuff but virtually impossible to get.

[dave HSM]

surely this is just local caught squid(by trawlers) that is still coverd in ink down my way they only ever catch one or two squid so there is no reason for it being washed and frozen its normally bought by local fishmongers or anglers ( me )

[yatoes]

surely this is just local caught squid(by trawlers) that is still coverd in ink down my way they only ever catch one or two squid so there is no reason for it being washed and frozen its normally bought by local fishmongers or anglers ( me )

If that was the case it would be believable but a few peeps have said that they have bought 20kg boxes of unwashed squid but you cant find anybody who is importing them or anybody who would import them cos the wholesalers claim if they arent suitable for human consumption they wouldnt deal with them ??!!!
Which brings me back to the theory that they are just repackaged "seconds" i.e. they were out of date or thawed out ??

I dont doubt that people have bought them in good faith but I am becoming more and more convinced that they are being duped because nobody yet has explained how the squid found there way to this country when apparenly nobody is importing them or even interested in importing them.
Secondly the claim that they are pink and discoloured because they are unwashed!!! Strange that cos the squid that is out of date or previously thawed and refrozen is also pink and discoloured coincidence or what???
ANYBODY WHO USES OR CLAIMS TO HAVE USED UNWASHED SQUID PLEASE DONT BE OFFENDED COS I AM NOT DOUBTING YOUR HONESTY AT ALL what I am finding increasingly hard to believe is that there is any way the suppliers of unwashed squid are being entirely truthful - - If they are I will apologise without reserve cos as I have said before I could be totally wrong but I have yet to see any evidence of unwashed squid being produced for the British market ,just spurious tales about them being difficult to find!!:)

[bigads]

You can buy unwashed squid from Peterhead tackle shop, thats the N/E of Scotland. I think he gets it from a boat before it gets to the processing plant to be cleaned and boxed. It's basically squid covered in ink and gunk from being in the hold. It's nice and smelly though.

Squid which has been thawed, kept too on ice or genrally not been kept well goes pink. This stuff is just like the boxed stuff except smelly and covered in all the squid juices.

Unwashed does exist though guys, you won't get if from a fishmonger though. You could try either talking to the boats or a trader at the local fish market, he might be able to get you some. You'd be buying a large quantity though not just a few pounds.

The other option is catching it yourself.

[yatoes]

You can buy unwashed squid from Peterhead tackle shop, thats the N/E of Scotland. I think he gets it from a boat before it gets to the processing plant to be cleaned and boxed. It's basically squid covered in ink and gunk from being in the hold. It's nice and smelly though.

Squid which has been thawed, kept too on ice or genrally not been kept well goes pink. This stuff is just like the boxed stuff except smelly and covered in all the squid juices.

Unwashed does exist though guys, you won't get if from a fishmonger though. You could try either talking to the boats or a trader at the local fish market, he might be able to get you some. You'd be buying a large quantity though not just a few pounds.

The other option is catching it yourself.

I have spoken to a lot of fishmongers and wholesalers and they have all said the same if it aint been washed and fit for human consumption they wouldnt touch it ???!!!

[bigads]

Yoates do you have a port where they do fish landings? With a fish market at that port. It might also help if you have a squid fishery locally. We have both here so I think thats where he gets them from. It may well be straight off the boat, I can't remember 100% but I think its the boat.

[yatoes]

You can buy unwashed squid from Peterhead tackle shop, thats the N/E of Scotland. I think he gets it from a boat before it gets to the processing plant to be cleaned and boxed. It's basically squid covered in ink and gunk from being in the hold. It's nice and smelly though.

Squid which has been thawed, kept too on ice or genrally not been kept well goes pink. This stuff is just like the boxed stuff except smelly and covered in all the squid juices.

Unwashed does exist though guys, you won't get if from a fishmonger though. You could try either talking to the boats or a trader at the local fish market, he might be able to get you some. You'd be buying a large quantity though not just a few pounds.

The other option is catching it yourself.
Are you sure it aint just seconds from your shop cos Ihave spoken to a few trawlermen and they said they very rarely drag any squid on board but do get a few cuttlefish now and again so they definitely wouldnt be able to supply any "large quantities"of squid?
I have spoken to a lot of fishmongers and wholesalers and they have all said the same if it aint been washed and fit for human consumption they wouldnt touch it ???!!!

[bigads]

Positive it not seconds like, its fresh smelling but covered in ink. Thing is the shop owner has lived in Peterhead all his life I think...he probably went to school with some of the trawlermen....so he will be able to get it. He just gets to it before it goes to the factory on the quay side.

I'll give him a call and see how he gets hold of it. Also if he mail orders it out.

[MikeR]

The stuff I used a few years ago was like unwashed party squid. The skipper of the boat said it was sold as a bait for long lining.

[woodsy]

you can buy unwashed squid and cuttlefish from ashtons in cardiff central market, i buy it for trips and the table, expensive mind but tasty.

[Ravelling Tangler]

I am sure trawlers trawl specifically for squid off the South Devon coast (I think in the Autumn - around about the same time as cuttlefish traps are being used off the South/South-East coast) and it fetches a good price for them.

These are auctioned in fish markets (I presume in Newlyn, Plymouth and Brixham).

It may be that if they are only rinsed once on deck/in the baskets they get well-stained by ink ejected later ( by the way - deviation from the subject - have you noticed how Octopus only eject ink as they are making their escape ; they know it won't help them as they are dragged in or crawling around the deck !) and maybe that is called "unwashed"

Could be ones for top price are repeatedly hosed-down for some time after catching and only iced when they stop 'leaking' ink ?

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aside: I remember 10 years or more ago someone turning up on a boat in the Bristol Channel with "Polish squid" - they were only about 3 inches long compared with the usual 8 inchs of so of Calamari and looked very dirty in the frozen block, and after thawing. He had a great time with the Cod; codling of 3 to 5 lb just seemed to love them. I never did note down what species of squid they were, I think he got them from Bristol fish market (Feeder road, Bristol)

[yatoes]

you can buy unwashed squid and cuttlefish from ashtons in cardiff central market, i buy it for trips and the table, expensive mind but tasty.

Idont know mate cos according to a fish wholesaler unwashed squid is not allowed to be sold for human consumption!! because he said that squid intended for the table is plunged into iced water immediately as its caught which cleanses the squid . but the advocates of unwashed squid claim that the squid they are buying are much better cos they havent been cleansed of all their natural smells and juices but as I have said I cant find anybody that is selling unwashed squid (apparently the easiest way to tell is the flesh is not bleached white as it is with the washed squid that you buy from your fishmonger or bait supplier) . I am becoming more and more convinced that the discoloured squid that some anglers are buying believing to be unwashed are just seconds i.e. out of date or previously thawed and refrozen. The only way I can see that you could be sure you were buying genuinely unwashed squid would be to buy it directly from a trawlerman that you know and trust.
Morrisons sell prepared squid and if you ask them for unwashed squid they just give you squid from the box that they havent washed????!!!. Which is exactly what your tackle shop is selling and has been previously washed on catching !!!!
Can anybody tell me I am an idiot and I am totally wrong (Iwont be offended :) )
and tell me how they know for sure that their unwashed squid is unwashed squid.

[Cromcruaich]

Idont know mate cos according to a fish wholesaler unwashed squid is not allowed to be sold for human consumption!! because he said that squid intended for the table is plunged into iced water immediately as its caught which cleanses the squid . but the advocates of unwashed squid claim that the squid they are buying are much better cos they havent been cleansed of all their natural smells and juices but as I have said I cant find anybody that is selling unwashed squid (apparently the easiest way to tell is the flesh is not bleached white as it is with the washed squid that you buy from your fishmonger or bait supplier) . I am becoming more and more convinced that the discoloured squid that some anglers are buying believing to be unwashed are just seconds i.e. out of date or previously thawed and refrozen. The only way I can see that you could be sure you were buying genuinely unwashed squid would be to buy it directly from a trawlerman that you know and trust.
Morrisons sell prepared squid and if you ask them for unwashed squid they just give you squid from the box that they havent washed????!!!. Which is exactly what your tackle shop is selling and has been previously washed on catching !!!!
Can anybody tell me I am an idiot and I am totally wrong (Iwont be offended :) )
and tell me how they know for sure that their unwashed squid is unwashed squid.

Chillax :)

As is often the case everyone is probably right. I'm sure some people do get access locally to unwashed squid (by means thread posters have indicated here) and i'm also sure that others are resold squid that may be termed unwashed, but which may not be unprocessed squid.

I think you can agree that some people do have access to unprocessed squid - I was out in whitby few weeks ago and guy at the end of the harbour wall was using unprocessed squid (well certainly unprocessed when compared to my sorry offerings I get from the local tescos).

[woodsy]

ashtons 100% unwashed, full of ink, i use the ink for paella negra.

[yatoes]

ashtons 100% unwashed, full of ink, i use the ink for .

Is that a spanish/carribean STD:)

[dave HSM]

this is how it works down onthe s east coast ,,the trawlers catch very few squid these are put in a box and landed then sold on by fish merchants not cleaned they are whole,,frozen squid has been cleaned (skin and guts removed) where as the fishermen using cuttle traps will catch squid along with the cuttle fish these are landed in boxes full of ink so are as black as the ace of spades as far as im aware this does not affect taste as when you wash and gut them and remove the skin its all the same the only time ive seen pink squid is when its gone off some people only buy cleaned squid yet some chefs wont buy it if its not still coverd in ink its a funny old game:g: :g: :g: :g:

[kristhefish]

Hi all.

I use Squid all year round And I buy mine bulk in big boxes just under two stone and they are caught in the south alantic down near the falkland islands,
The squid can be small just 3 or 4 inches long or up to 6 or 7inches and are full of goo, a thick creamy mess which the fish love.

They are blast frozen just after being caught and I think they a brillant bait.

Fish caught are Cod,Wihting, pout, L S D, Big Bass, Thornback Ray's, Smoothounds.

I buy mine from a fish inporter in lowerstoft.. :secret:

[woodsy]

those falkland squid are the biz for winter cod out of cardiff.:secret:

[Norfolk Boy]

Talking to a charterman & long liner, it's all he uses and we're in lug country. He claims it's lots better than the boxed stuff. Sold in big blocks. Now I know what I'm after I'll treat myself. Find a fish merchant and ask for the longlining stuff. Think he said it was C4 .

Seen your post Kristhefish, that'll be the stuff. From Coles'?

[BlueSaab]

Hi

John Rawle was talking about this stuff last night on Tight Lines and it's supposed to be the dogs wotsits.
He called it Falkland squid or dirty squid it apparently knocks spots of Calamari squid but, where can we get it

Cheers Dave

[alan t]

Used to get mine from Lowestoft in 5kg blocks not to sure of the supplyer as one of the other charter skippers would go and pick it up would outfish most other squid from tackle shops.

[codbasher3]

:idea: Just a thought, Baits Direct could get some and sell them to us :)

[Codhead Bob]

If anyone would like to take a trip up to Pittenweem,a small fishing port in Fife in Scotland,in the next few days I can assure them they can see boxes upon boxes,appox 10 stones per box,being landed on the market any week day which will all be snapped up at between 60 and 100 pounds per box,right out of the sea the night before and entirely as God made them.Oh aye,and intended for human consumption.

[dod nae cod]

i have to agree and back up what bigads has posted i myself get unwashed squid straight from local trawlers landing in macduff/fraserburgh and peterhead scotland give it a try and ask some of the local crews of a trawler if you could cadge / buy some straight from them. and as an ex trawlerman i can tell you that the boats do not wash squid when caught coz nothing rots them quicker than if you wash them

[flookmaster]

i have to agree and back up what bigads has posted i myself get unwashed squid straight from local trawlers landing in macduff/fraserburgh and peterhead scotland give it a try and ask some of the local crews of a trawler if you could cadge / buy some straight from them. and as an ex trawlerman i can tell you that the boats do not wash squid when caught coz nothing rots them quicker than if you wash them

dod we could start up a unwashed squid business :secret:

[lewis barnes]

Hi all - - :unsure: had a message on my answering m/c yesterday (Saturday) from a wholesale fishmonger and I quote " If it isnt marked fit for Human consumption he wouldnt deal with it :yucky: and he suspects it would probably be illegal in case it finds its way into the human food chain"!!!which reinforces my belief that so called unwashed squid is nothing more than ordinary ordinary Washed squid that has been repackaged cos it is unfit for human consumption for some reason such as out of date or previously defrosted (hence the colour not white):yucky: .
As I said before in opening thread I could be wrong but it seems to me to be a load of moonshine as I have yet to find anybody who can give me a definite answer as to who is importing unwashed squid and why :secret: cos they cant sell it to anybody except anglers and none of the angling shops that I have spoken to are being supplied:g: and surely if somebody is importing it he would have to import large ammounts to make it worthwhile?!


i buy whole calamari squid large and small unwashed with ink and guts in unwashed and when defrosted absolutely stinks from fishing republic they are on the net costs 1.60 for a pack of small squid or 1.80 for the larger stuff and i put them on the hook as they come out of the tub if i don't use them all back in the freezer they go done this with the same pack for 6 trips now and they still catch fish after that amount of time so don't bin it the smellier the better i say

[AndyS]

Hi all - - :unsure: had a message on my answering m/c yesterday (Saturday) from a wholesale fishmonger and I quote " If it isnt marked fit for Human consumption he wouldnt deal with it :yucky: and he suspects it would probably be illegal in case it finds its way into the human food chain"!!!which reinforces my belief that so called unwashed squid is nothing more than ordinary ordinary Washed squid that has been repackaged cos it is unfit for human consumption for some reason such as out of date or previously defrosted (hence the colour not white):yucky: .
As I said before in opening thread I could be wrong but it seems to me to be a load of moonshine as I have yet to find anybody who can give me a definite answer as to who is importing unwashed squid and why :secret: cos they cant sell it to anybody except anglers and none of the angling shops that I have spoken to are being supplied:g: and surely if somebody is importing it he would have to import large ammounts to make it worthwhile?!


Of course he wouldn't deal with it if it is not fit for human consumption - he's a fishmonger supplying the human market!

Down on the South cost you can walk into any number of fishmongers and buy squid covered in skin, complete with ink sacks and quill and they have not been washed and prepared.You do that yourself when you get home.

The same applies to the squid we catch from the marina. They are not washed or unfit for human consumption, we prepare them when we get home.

[bunny78]

Heres a spanner to through in the works I remember some where that apparently the ink has 2 uses 1 to obviously create a smoke screen for the squid to escape the other is that the ink numbs the fishes sense of smell!!
Maybe wrong?