OK, slight exaggeration but the truth is fishermen out of Motril port caught a monster squid weighing 13 kilos.

It was caught in a trawler net 400 metres down, according to Motril, Fishermen’s Guild, Head Skipper, Ignacio López. He said that the last time that they fished something like this was in August 2018 when the trawler, Fermín López, returned to port with a Pota (shortfin squid) that the skipper couldn’t even get his arms around (whilst his wife was watching…)

The beastie was auctioned off at the port, fish market and acquired by the Pescadería (fishmonger) Failla in Almuñécar. Whoever buys it could serve up fried, squid rings the size of Hula hops, if they wanted.

Do you know the difference, by the way, between Pota and Calamar? Some places put Calamar on the menu but it is really Pota, so they’re pulling the wool over your eyes or, as the Spanish say, “Te tan gato por liebre” (passing off a skinned cat as a hare).

Calamar is more expensive and tastier and its fins cover most of the rear half of its body. The Pota’s fins, on the other hand, are right at the back and smaller.

Another difference is in the color. The Pota can vary its colour, but under the sea it’s semi-transparent, especially in the fins, whilst the Calamar tends towards a more purplish hue.

(News/Noticias: Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada Andalucia: Photo: Motril Port Catch Auction)