Squid

Ojingeo is a general name for squid. In everyday Korean it usually means the Japanese flying squid (Todarodes pacificus), though the encyclopedia notes long-standing confusion with cuttlefish and other species. Squid have a torpedo-shaped mantle with fins, eight arms and two long tentacles, and a thin internal shell; about ten species are known in Korean waters.

Old texts recorded the name as ojeogeo (烏賊魚), 'crow thief.' Jeong Yak-jeon's Jasan eobo (1814) repeats a Chinese tale that the squid floats as if dead, then seizes the crows that peck at it, and it also describes the ink sac, noting that ink writing from it fades over time. Joseon reference works distinguished salted, dried squid (myeongsang) from squid dried without salt (posang).

Squid are drawn to light, so they are fished at night under banks of lamps. Ulleungdo, in the East Sea where warm and cold currents meet, is the most famous ground: the season runs from late June through September, and the catch was traditionally sun-dried within hours, spread across yards and even rooftops.

Fresh squid is stir-fried with chili (ojingeo-bokkeum), added to haemul-pajeon, or stuffed and steamed as ojingeo-sundae. Dried squid is grilled as a snack. Shredded, seasoned dried squid — jinmichae or ojingeochae — is softened and tossed with gochujang as ojingeochae-muchim or stir-fried with a sweet soy glaze as jinmichae-bokkeum.

• Lean protein: Raw squid is high in protein and low in fat, and supplies vitamin B12 and some DHA, per the Korean Food Composition Table.
• A low-mercury seafood: Squid is on the FDA–EPA 'Best Choices' list of lower-mercury seafood.
• Dietary cholesterol: Squid is notably high in cholesterol (about 234 mg per 100 g raw), something people following a clinician's advice on cholesterol may want to note.
• Dried and seasoned forms are salty and sweet: Dried squid and jinmichae are concentrated sources of sodium, and jinmichae also contains added sugar; banchan made from it adds more.
• Mollusk allergy: Squid is a mollusk. Mollusks are not among the nine major allergens U.S. law requires on labels, but the FDA notes that more than 160 foods can cause allergic reactions, and people with a shellfish allergy should ask their clinician about squid.