What are
The squills are products of sea (and lagoon) fishing known with the alternative names of sea cicada (improperly, since the true cicada of the sea would be the Scyllarus arctus or magnosella), panicchie, panocchie and canocie.
Anatomical description
the shrimp have a rather complex morphological organization; the body segments are divided into 5-6 of the head, 8 of the thorax and 7 of the abdomen. The carapace is small, fused with the 3 somites of the chest, and consists of a single plate ( pereion ); the abdomen, on the other hand, is much more developed. The limbs of the shrimp are very different from those of the Decapods; on the chest, frontally, they possess 2 pairs of pincer legs with which, from the inside of their burrows (dug in the sand), they catch the prey of passage. Near the junction with the abdomen, but always on the chest, the mouthpiece has 3 pairs of legs appointed for movement on the bottom; at the beginning of the belly it has another 3 and, towards the tail, 5 pairs of fins are extended, which also allow it to move vertically on the water column. The last pair of fins (more developed) is positioned at the apex of the belly and laterally with respect to the tail. The shrimp are light-colored, beige-yellowish, with red-violet pigmentations at the top of the legs, fins and on the lamellar crown of the ventral carapace; there are also two circular spots on the tail, probably with the function of confusing predators.
Habitat and Fishing
the shrimp can reach 20-25cm in length, they feed on fish, cephalopod mollusks and annelids, and live mainly on the coastal areas and near the lagoons / pockets; nevertheless, they have been identified up to 200m in depth. The shrimp have nocturnal habits and the fishing (carried out mainly by trawling ), takes place successfully in conjunction with rough seas. It is not a gregarious animal but, inevitably, ends up gathering in the areas that possess the best food and biological resources.
The geographical distribution of the shrimp in the Mediterranean Sea is particularly concentrated in the north-western side of the Adriatic Sea.
storage
The shrimp are much more "delicate" foods than crabs, prawns, scampi, spider crab, lobster, lobster etc. They, in addition to having an extremely limited shelf life (similar to the aforementioned, due to the early formation of free nitrogen groups - ammonia smell), losing freshness are subjected to a strong dehydration which reduces the volume of the edible portion inside their carapace. They must be preserved by refrigeration, preferably in crushed ice, and subjected to freezing mainly in case of need. To the connoisseurs, the shrimp should be bought ONLY alive!
Both the freshness and the size of the shrimp suggest its culinary destination.
Recipes
Despite the excellent preparation consists of boiling-boiling (after which they will be deprived of the carapace, and seasoned with salt, pepper, citronette and fresh parsley - for a warm appetizer or a mixed Catalan ), it is true that in order to get a "satisfying" dish the animals MUST necessarily be very fresh and of considerable size (about 15-20cm); finding shrimp of doubtful freshness, frozen or small, it is therefore necessary to change totally the type of processing. The latter lend themselves more to the composition of sauces for the first courses (the famous sedanini with squills) and seafood risottos. Personally, by virtue of the typical delicacy attributable to their meat, I do not believe that baking, grilling or frying lend themselves to the preparation of shrimp (large or small, fresh or not) ... even if, after all, de gustibus non est disputandum . NB : "old" or defrosted shrimp, during cooking, tend to empty completely leaving only a few traces of pulp inside the coating.
Cleaning and Preparation
It is essential to remember that the shrimp possesses an extremely sharp carapace, however, the crustacean husking varies according to the preparation methodology. To make them boiled or boiled (possibly also steamed), the shrimp must NOT be cut before cooking; only at the end, by means of a scissor, should the belly be incised longitudinally (without interrupting the continuity of the thorax with the anterior prehensile legs attached) by removing the edible part and eliminating the coating of chitin (structural polysaccharide).
On the contrary, if the shrimp are intended for the preparation of sauces or first courses in general, it is advisable (always using scissors): remove the lamellar crown of the carapace on the belly (similar to a "skirt"), remove all legs and the fins, with the exception of the anterior prehensals, trim the tail (discarding the attached spikes) and the lateral caudal fins, cut the anterior portion of the head (removing the mouth, eyes and all the bumps that could injure the mucous membranes of the mouth) and finally, cut the body into several pieces, about 2-4cm wide (as desired). The squid sauce should be mixed very gently (or not mixed at all) to prevent the segments from emptying from the pulp; in the risotto, all the carapace scraps are destined to the broth for the risotto, while the crustacean pieces should be added only in the last 5-6 minutes of cooking. For lovers of gratin, cleaning is similar to the one just described BUT does not include cutting into pieces, but a simple incision (unilateral) of the belly (above or below) in which to insert (or not) the garlic panure, oil, parsley, salt and pepper.
Nutritional Properties
The chemical and compositional values of the shrimp are not known precisely; it is however conceivable that these possess nutritional characteristics similar to Decapod crustaceans and that therefore they boast: a good supply of proteins with high biological value, a modest content of fatty acids MA a considerable quantity of cholesterol and a small portion of soluble carbohydrates; energy intake should be modest. It is also conceivable that the presence of vitamins is more orientated on those of group B and on carotenoids (pro-vit. A); probably a good level of bio-available iron and potassium, but also sodium (less desirable) can be appreciated.
