Abstract The characteristic flavour of cooked squid has been studied by gas chromatography–olfactometry (GC–O) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) in order to identify and quantify the compounds responsible for this aroma. Squid meat ( Illex argentinus ) was boiled in water and the volatile compounds of this soup were isolated with different sample preparation techniques. 2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline was identified for the first time in squid aroma and turned out to be the key odorant. In addition, 3-(methylthio)propanal, 2-furfurylthiol, 2-methyl-3-furanthiol, sotolon, furaneol and butyric acid were also found to be important odorants present in the cooked squid extract.