This item
Squid
- Elongated tubular mantle
- Two triangular fins at the rear of the mantle
- Eight arms, two longer tentacles and large eyes
Seafood
Squid
Squid with an elongated mantle, paired triangular fins, eight arms and two longer tentacles.
Share with Helper
Choose the recipient language and share that exact page.
3 identity clues
- Elongated tubular mantle
- Two triangular fins at the rear of the mantle
- Eight arms, two longer tentacles and large eyes
Names in other languages
- 繁體中文
- 魷魚
- English
- Squid
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Cumi-cumi (魷魚)
- Tagalog
- Pusit (魷魚)
Name in Cantonese (Jyutping): jau4 jyu4 No Cantonese voice on this device
What is it?
魷魚 is a common Hong Kong cephalopod sold whole or cleaned; it is not cuttlefish or octopus.
How to identify it
On a whole squid, check the tubular mantle, two triangular fins at its rear, large eyes, multiple arms and two longer tentacles.
Common confusion
Compare
Octopus
- rounded mantle
- eight arms bearing suckers
- no pair of long feeding tentacles or squid-like lateral fins
How to identify it
Squid has a long mantle and two rear fins; octopus lacks that mantle, while cuttlefish is broader and has a cuttlebone. Octopus has a rounded mantle and eight sucker-bearing arms; squid has a longer mantle and rear fins. Cut pieces are not reliably identifiable without a label.
Common Hong Kong household uses
Confirm the dish, quantity and cut with the employer before preparation, then cook thoroughly.
Choosing & preparing
Keep raw seafood separate from cooked food, use separate boards and knives, wash hands and contact surfaces, clean it for its type, and cook thoroughly.
Storage
Refrigerate promptly, covered and below cooked food at 4°C or below. Use only when the cold chain is reliable and there is no abnormal odour; do not use if chilled storage is uncertain or there is a strong off-odour.
Helper tip
Check the whole form, freshness and stall label; if uncertain, photograph it for the employer.
What Ma’am or Sir may say
買兩隻魷魚，清內臟留完整身筒。The employer wants this seafood item and requires the fish or shellfish and stall label to be checked.
Useful market phrase
唔該要兩隻魷魚。Meaning: Two Squid, please.
Does the image look correct?
Last reviewed:
Sources (9)
- Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department / Centre for Food Safety — FEHD AQUATIC
- Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department / Centre for Food Safety — CFS HKTDS
- Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department / Centre for Food Safety — FEHD AQUATIC JYUTPING
- Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department — Public Market Items Multilingual Booklet
- Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety — Seafood Safety and Hygiene
- Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety — Store - Five Keys to Food Safety
- Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety — Prevention of Cross-contamination
- Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department / Centre for Food Safety — CFS COOK REHEAT
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations — Cephalopods of the World, Volume 2 — General Characteristics of Squids