California squid (calamari)

How to:  Clean whole squid

Recipes:  4 ways with California squid

Taste Sweet, tender, and versatile: Eat them grilled, fried, sautéed, or marinated.

Source Primarily Pacific Ocean off California (Southern California in winter, Monterey the rest of the year); sometimes into Oregon.

Eco factor Despite being heavily fished, squid swim in great numbers off the West Coast. Fishing with purse-seine nets has no habitat impact and little unintentional harvest of other species.

How to choose and prepare Most squid are frozen soon after they're caught, as they're very perishable. Buy squid still frozen or thawed. They may come whole, or cleaned and separated into tubes and tentacles. Cleaned squid should be firm, have a mild aroma, and be white and glistening.