I've never had calamari salad, only fried calamari, dried squid, and squid in seafood stews.
when it's not dried, it has a pleasantly firm consistency. I wouldn't say it was rubbery, though. have you ever had rice cakes? the texture is kind of like that, only not quite as chewy and it's firmer when you first bite into it.
the taste is pretty light and subtle. it's... savory, I guess? most of the times, in fried calamari and stew, it's more about the texture than the taste, because of the seasoning largely overpowering the calamari. it's very smooth in its outer texture.
i can't honestly say that calamari tastes to me like anything other than calamari. maybe octopus? but the octopus I've had has always been considerably tougher. that and the suckers are kind of crunchy.
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when it's not dried, it has a pleasantly firm consistency. I wouldn't say it was rubbery, though. have you ever had rice cakes? the texture is kind of like that, only not quite as chewy and it's firmer when you first bite into it.
the taste is pretty light and subtle. it's... savory, I guess? most of the times, in fried calamari and stew, it's more about the texture than the taste, because of the seasoning largely overpowering the calamari. it's very smooth in its outer texture.
i can't honestly say that calamari tastes to me like anything other than calamari. maybe octopus? but the octopus I've had has always been considerably tougher. that and the suckers are kind of crunchy.