Technicians in New Zealand have begun to thaw a rare colossal squid specimen.
The operation to defrost the 10-metre (34 feet) long, half-tonne squid began on Monday afternoon in Wellington. The animal is now sitting in a bath of salt water. Once it is thawed, scientists will begin to dissect it.
I know how they feel, how often have I gone to the bottom drawer of the freezer and found some strange specimen that’s only just within its’ use-by’ date? Is it safe to eat? Should I try it out on the cat or the kids before eating any myself?
Should I sit it in a bath of salt water? Should I sit in a bath of salt water?
Here is some advice from the internet regarding frozen sea food:
- Don’t buy frozen seafood if the packages are open, torn, or crushed on the edges. Especially if torn from the inside.
- Don’t trust anything found dead and handled by scientists.
- Go directly home and refrigerate or freeze your seafood immediately. If your trip is longer than 30 minutes, place your seafood in a cooler with ice or dangle it out of the car window so it catches the breeze.
- Never turn your back on a deep sea creature that is bigger than about two feet long, even if you believe it to be dead.
I hope those guys have got a fridge large enough for a half-tonne package.
Come to that I hope they’ve got a big enough frying pan.
I recommend cutting the tentacles into rings and frying them in a little oil with some crushed garlic.
The mantle can be used as a paddling pool for the children, or set up as a lean-to porch it can be used to protect a car from bad weather.