When buying kalamari, make sure that you’re actually getting kalamari and not arrow squid. On kalamari, the side wings extend the whole length along either side of the body. On arrow squid, the wings are just little triangles at the bottom tip of the body that form a dart shape.
Always choose kalamari that are a whitish-grey colour, speckled with a little black ink. They should not be pink. Kalamari should always smell clean, not fishy or of ammonia. When cleaning and preparing kalamari take care with the ink sac as it is quite delicate and it may burst and squirt ink all over you. Don’t worry if some ink gets on the kalamari as it is quite tasty. In fact some recipes for braising even require the ink to be added.
To clean kalamari, first pull the head and tentacles away from the body and set them aside. Insert your fingers into the body cavity and pull out the guts and the thin, transparent cartilage, which looks like a piece of plastic. Now slide your fingertips under the blackish membrane that covers the body and peel it away. Rinse the body inside and out then pat it dry. Cut into strips or into 1.5 cm rings.
Pinch your thumb and forefinger nails in between the eyes and the tentacles and separate them. Alternatively, use a knife to cut the tentacles away from the head. Use your thumbs to pop the beak out from the centre of the tentacles. Discard the beak, head and ink sac and keep the tentacles. Rinse and pat dry then cut them into 7 cm lengths.