Can We Eat Squid Eye? Exploring the Edibility and Culinary Practice

November 29, 2025 •

4 min read

Globally, chefs almost universally discard the eyes when preparing squid for consumption, along with the beak and quill. This raises the question: can we eat squid eye, or are they inedible and just part of the waste? This article delves into the edibility and typical culinary practice surrounding this often-overlooked part of the cephalopod.

Quick Summary

Squid eyes are generally not consumed due to their unappealing texture and minimal flavor, despite not being toxic. Culinary tradition dictates their removal during cleaning alongside the inedible beak and quill.

Key Points

Not Typically Eaten: While not toxic, squid eyes are almost always discarded during preparation due to their unpleasant texture.
Unappealing Texture: The eyes contain a hard, crunchy lens and a watery, gelatinous fluid that many people find unappetizing.
Minimal Flavor: The eyes themselves offer little to no flavor, contrasting with the savory taste of the rest of the squid.
Easy to Remove: During the standard cleaning process, the eyes are removed along with the beak and other innards, making their disposal simple.
Different from Fish Eyes: Unlike fish eyes, which are a delicacy in some cultures, squid eyes do not offer a comparable palatable experience or nutritional benefit.
Discard the Beak and Quill: In addition to the eyes, the hard chitinous beak and the clear, internal quill should always be removed and discarded.

Is It Safe to Eat Squid Eye?

While squid eyes are not poisonous or toxic, they are not typically considered a desirable part of the squid to eat. The primary reason for discarding them is their texture and composition, which are unappealing compared to the tender mantle and meaty tentacles. Unlike the rich flavor found in the edible ink sac, the eyeball is mostly water and cartilage, which does not break down well during cooking.

The Texture and Taste of Squid Eye

The structure of a squid's eyeball includes a hard, indigestible lens and a watery, gelatinous sphere known as the vitreous humor. When cooked, the lens remains hard and crunchy, which is an unpleasant surprise for most diners. The gelatinous interior may become soft but lacks significant flavor, tasting mostly like salty sea water. For this reason, professional chefs and home cooks alike opt to remove the eyes entirely, focusing on the squid's other, more palatable parts.

The Inedible Beak and Quill

The squid's eyes are located close to the hard, bony beak and the central, transparent 'pen' or gladius, both of which are inedible. During the cleaning process, the head and innards are removed from the mantle, making it simple to discard the eyes, beak, and quill at the same time. This streamlined approach to cleaning ensures that only the most flavorful and tender portions of the squid are used in a dish.

How to Clean Squid and Remove the Eyes

Preparing a squid properly involves removing all the inedible and undesirable parts. Here is a step-by-step guide to cleaning a squid and removing its eyes:

Separate the head: Grasp the squid firmly with one hand on the body (mantle) and the other on the head. Pull the head and tentacles away from the body with a slight twisting motion. The innards should slide out easily.
Cut the tentacles: Using a knife, make a clean cut just below the eyes. This will separate the edible tentacles from the head and innards, which can now be discarded.
Remove the beak: Squeeze the base of the tentacles where the beak is located. The small, hard, parrot-like beak will pop out. Discard the beak.
Remove the quill: Inside the body tube, you will find a thin, clear sliver of cartilage called the quill or pen. Grab it with your fingers and pull it out; it should slide out easily.
Peel the skin: While the skin is edible, most cooks prefer to peel it off for a more tender result. The dark, spotty skin can be peeled away easily with your fingers.
Rinse and prepare: Rinse the body tube and tentacles thoroughly. The squid is now ready for cooking, whether it's for fried calamari rings or stuffed squid.

Squid Eyes vs. Fish Eyes: A Culinary Comparison

In certain cultures, consuming fish eyes is a delicacy, a practice that might lead one to believe squid eyes are also fair game. However, the two differ significantly in composition and culinary tradition. The contrast is stark, as this table illustrates:


Aspect	Squid Eye	Fish Eye (in some cultures)
Edibility	Considered edible, but routinely discarded due to poor texture.	A prized delicacy in many Asian and coastal cuisines.
Texture	Contains a hard lens and watery vitreous humor, making it gelatinous and crunchy.	Mostly soft and gelatinous, offering a prized, melt-in-the-mouth texture.
Flavor	Bland or metallic-tasting, often tainted by the ink sac.	Rich, umami flavor, often used to thicken and flavor broths.
Nutritional Value	Minimal nutritional value, largely composed of water and cartilage.	Rich in omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients, especially in larger fish.
Culinary Use	Consistently removed during preparation for popular dishes.	Cooked in soups, braised, or eaten with the head as a sign of respect and good fortune.

The Bottom Line on Eating Squid Eye

The final verdict on whether to eat squid eye depends on your personal tolerance for texture and preference. While not unsafe, the unappealing consistency and minimal flavor make it an undesirable ingredient for most people. The widespread practice of discarding them is not rooted in toxicity but in a sensible culinary decision to prioritize the more palatable and tender parts of the squid, such as the mantle and tentacles. For the best culinary experience, simply follow the established cleaning procedure and discard the eyes, along with the beak and quill. To learn more about preparing delicious squid dishes, you can find a comprehensive guide on the BBC Food website.

Conclusion

While technically not harmful, the practice of discarding squid eyes is a standard culinary procedure based on flavor and texture. Unlike fish eyes prized in some cultures for their rich, gelatinous qualities, squid eyes contain a hard lens and a watery interior that offers little culinary value. By properly cleaning the squid and focusing on its desirable parts, you can enjoy a delicious and tender seafood meal. The tradition of removing the eyes is a sensible one that enhances the final dish, a practice followed by chefs worldwide.

Here is a useful guide for preparing and cooking squid.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, squid eyes are not poisonous or toxic. They are, however, generally considered unpalatable due to their texture, which is why they are typically discarded during the cleaning process.

A squid eye contains a hard, crunchy lens and a watery, gelatinous fluid. When you eat one, you would experience a mix of unappealing textures with little to no flavor, often described as a bland or salty sensation.

The culinary preference differs based on the species' composition. Some fish eyes, especially from larger fish, become soft and flavorful when cooked and are rich in nutrients. Squid eyes, in contrast, have a hard, indigestible lens and an overall less desirable texture and flavor profile.

The correct culinary practice is to discard the eyes, not prepare them for cooking. They are removed as part of the cleaning process, along with the beak and quill, to focus on the edible and more delicious parts of the squid.

Yes, it is a virtually universal culinary practice. Regardless of cuisine, the undesirable texture and minimal flavor of squid eyes lead cooks to remove and discard them.

The other inedible parts of a squid are its hard, bony beak, located at the base of the tentacles, and the clear, rigid quill (gladius) that runs down the length of the mantle.

The nutritional value of a squid eye is minimal. It is primarily composed of water and cartilage, which offers little in the way of beneficial nutrients compared to the protein-rich mantle and tentacles.