Japan — squid has been part of Japanese diet since the Jomon period (10,000–300 BCE). Surume (dried squid) was a major trade commodity in the Edo period, produced along the Sanriku coast and Hokkaido. Ika-meshi (squid stuffed with rice) is a famous ekiben (train station bento) from Mori Station (Hokkaido), invented in 1941 and still produced using the same recipe.
Ika (烏賊, squid) is among the most versatile ingredients in Japanese cooking — consumed as sashimi (ika-sōmen, the squid body scored and cut into thin noodle-like strips), as shioyaki (salt-grilled whole squid), in tempura, as ika-meshi (squid stuffed with rice and simmered), dried (surume), and as yaki-ika (grilled with soy-mirin tare at festivals). Japan catches and consumes more squid per capita than any other country. The primary species: surume-ika (Pacific flying squid, Todarodes pacificus) for most preparations; aori-ika (bigfin reef squid, Sepioteuthis lessoniana) for the finest sashimi and sushi; hotaru-ika (firefly squid, Watasenia scintillans) for the spring Toyama Bay specialty eaten whole and raw or simmered in miso.
Ika's flavour varies dramatically with preparation: raw aori-ika sashimi has a delicate, slightly sweet, clean marine flavour with a distinctive translucent-white appearance; the scoring creates a papery, ribbon-thin texture that dissolves on the tongue. Grilled surume-ika develops an intense, caramelised, slightly smoky squid flavour — the surface chars while the interior steams in its own moisture. Hotaru-ika's whole-body flavour, including the viscera, delivers an intense, almost organ-meat richness alongside the marine squid character — a depth that is completely different from any other squid preparation.
Squid preparation: (1) Separation — pull the mantle (body tube) from the head/tentacle assembly with a firm, twisting pull. (2) Cleaning — remove the transparent quill (pen) from the mantle; remove the viscera (careful — the ink sac is intact and can spray). (3) Skin removal — for sashimi-grade preparations, peel the purple outer skin from the mantle (this is optional but produces a cleaner visual). Ika-sōmen scoring: lay the cleaned mantle flat; score the inside surface in a fine crosshatch pattern (1mm apart); cut into thin strips — the scoring allows the strips to curl when plated, creating the noodle-like presentation. (4) For yakimono: grill the mantle whole, lightly scored on the outside; the scoring allows the surface to caramelise evenly.
Ika ink (ika-sumi, 烏賊墨) in Japanese cooking: the ink sac (careful to remove intact from the viscera) can be used to colour and season rice (ika-sumi gohan), pasta, or risotto-style preparations. The flavour of ika ink is more mineral and mild than Italian cuttlefish ink. Hotaru-ika (firefly squid) — available only in spring from Toyama Bay — are consumed whole (mantle, tentacles, and viscera intact) as the viscera's flavour is essential. Blanched briefly in salted water and eaten with karashi-miso or ponzu, hotaru-ika's intense, almost liver-rich flavour from the intact viscera is one of Japanese cuisine's most challenging seasonal delicacies.
Over-cooking squid — squid follows the 2-second or 2-minute rule: briefly seared or very long-simmered (45+ minutes to collapse the muscle fibres). Any time in between produces intolerable rubber. For sashimi scoring: not cutting deep enough — the scoring must go almost entirely through the mantle to allow the strips to separate cleanly when cut.
Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art — Shizuo Tsuji; Japanese Farm Food — Nancy Singleton Hachisu