Cuttlefish Recipe
A slow cook method for meaty fish
Regular readers will recall I was able to get my hands on a couple of kilos of cuttlefish for the restaurant the other day.
Hundreds (?) of you have e mailed begging for a recipe for this very attractive specimen so here it is. I must admit to being less than optimistic about selling any the other night but my wise and trusted clientel came up trumps once again and devoured the lot.
I looked to Spain and Italy for my source of inspiration, what better for a freezing November evening than a plate of braised cuttlefish al fresco? This isn’t so much a recipe as a method and one which can easily be applied to squid and octopus.
Take the cleaned body and score the flesh with a sharp knife, cut into squares roughly 2.5cm by 2.5cm, cut the tentacles into manageable pieces.
Gently sweat a finely diced onion in some olive oil, add a clove of garlic or two (chopped if you want a garlicky stew, left whole if subtle is your thing) Let the onion soften before adding a teaspoon of paprika and five or six roughly chopped tomatoes sans core. Add a dollop of tomato puree, the finely grated zest of half a lemon and as much of the following fresh herb as you see fit; (pick one) marjoram, basil or tarragon. Add a splash of white wine and let it all cook down. Add some stock (preferably fish, if not then chicken or vegetable) to cover the tomatoes. Throw in a couple of torn bay leaves, a tablespoon of capers and simmer for five minutes. Add the cuttlefish pieces and cook in a moderate oven for a couple of hours until the flesh has softened and taken on the flavour of the sauce. Season well and serve with some risotto and fresh lemon.
There are a number of flavour boosters which can be added to this dish at your discretion; saffron, chorizo sausage, chilli, white beans, pickled lemons etc.
Give it a go and let me know how you get on.
