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Golden cuttlefish (Sumi ika)

【Nigiri sushi: Ika (Squid)】
What is Sumiika and What does Sumi ika nigiri taste like?
Sumiika lives near the sandy and muddy floors in the ocean from Kanto westward, in the East China Sea. This squid has got its name because it spews a good amount of ink. Its proper name is kohika however it is more commonly known as sumiika. Among the same kind of squids, sumiika has very tender flesh and fine texture. When eaten with sudachi citrus and salt, fine sweetness spreads in the mouth.

【Trivia】
・Squid has three layers of skin and the third layer can be eaten. The taste is the same whether the skin is peeled off or not. But if the time is taken to peel off the last layer of skin, it can be cut smoothly and the texture on the tongue is soft.

・The taste of the cuttlefish depends on the sweetness, richness and texture. Bigfin reef squid has a high glycine content so the sweetness is emphasized, but golden cuttlefish has a low glycine content, so the sweetness is more subtle compared to Bigfin reef squid. It does have a rich flavor because of the high taurine content.

・Cephalopods such as squids (Ika) and octopus (Tako), or shellfishes such as abalone (Awabi) don't contain any inosinic acids, so it won't make any difference in the taste if you let them rest overnight. The best is to eat them fresh.

【Related contents】
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List of Squid (Ika) and Octopus (Tako)