Unwashed Squid??

**yatoes** · 04-04-2007, 16:25

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** · 04-04-2007, 16:52

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** · 04-04-2007, 17:18

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?

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

OCB.

**yatoes** · 08-04-2007, 16:21

Hi all - -

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

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)

.
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

cos they cant sell it to anybody except anglers and none of the angling shops that I have spoken to are being supplied

and surely if somebody is importing it he would have to import large ammounts to make it worthwhile?!

**MikeR** · 08-04-2007, 17:33

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** · 09-04-2007, 16:41

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** · 09-04-2007, 18:21

Originally Posted by davefh12

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** · 09-04-2007, 18:30

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** · 09-04-2007, 19:03

Originally Posted by 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.

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** · 09-04-2007, 19:08

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.