AI-generated image
Crni rižot
Black cuttlefish risotto
Dalmatian black cuttlefish-ink risotto
Along the Dalmatian coast, from Korčula to Dubrovnik, konobas serve crni rižot as the first thing fishermen order when they come ashore, its jet-black colour startling against a white plate. Cuttlefish is cooked slowly with onion and garlic until tender, then rice goes in with fish stock and the ink sac, making a creamy, sea-sweet rice that tastes of the shore. It traditionally includes a splash of dry white wine; for an alcohol-free version, use more stock with a squeeze of lemon. The usual mistake is adding the cuttlefish late and cooking it fast, which leaves it rubbery; it needs to stew first. Chef's tip: serve with a drizzle of good olive oil and grated hard sheep's cheese if you like, and warn your guests about black teeth.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb cuttlefish, cleaned (ink sacs kept)or squid; or 2 sachets (8 g) squid ink
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 3 garlic clovesfinely chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- ½ cup dry white winecontains alcohol; for alcohol-free use extra stock with 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 10 ½ oz risotto rice
- 5 cups hot fish stockgluten-free if needed
- 3 tbsp fresh parsleychopped
- ⅔ oz butter
- 1 tsp saltto taste
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 ⅜ oz grated hard sheep's cheese or parmesan (optional)
- 1 lemon (optional)wedges
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (6)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: If cleaning the cuttlefish yourself, pull the head from the body, cut away the beak and eyes, remove the cuttlebone and guts, and carefully keep the small silvery ink sacs. Rinse well under cold running water. Keep everything in the fridge until cooking.
15 minStep 2: Cut the 1 ¾ lb cuttlefish, cleaned (ink sacs kept) bodies into 1 cm strips and the tentacles into short pieces. Squeeze the ink from the sacs into a little of the stock.
Step 3: Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a wide heavy pan over a medium heat and soften 1 onion for 6 minutes. Add 3 garlic cloves for 1 minute.
7 minStep 4: Add the cuttlefish, cover and stew gently for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until it turns opaque white, then tender when bitten. Add a splash of stock if it catches.
20 minStep 5: Stir in 1 tbsp tomato purée and 10 ½ oz risotto rice and toast for 2 minutes. Pour in ½ cup dry white wine (or the alcohol-free swap) and let it bubble away.
3 minStep 6: Add the ink and then 5 cups hot fish stock a ladle at a time, stirring often and waiting until each ladle is almost absorbed, for 18–20 minutes, until the rice is creamy and just tender with a slight bite.
20 minStep 7: Off the heat, stir in ⅔ oz butter, 3 tbsp fresh parsley, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper. Rest 2 minutes; it should flow slowly on the plate. Serve with 1 ⅜ oz grated hard sheep's cheese or parmesan and 1 lemon. Eat the same day.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does crni rižot take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Moreton Bay bugsSlipper lobster with garlic butter
Moreton Bay bugs are the flat, shovel-nosed slipper lobsters caught off the Queensland coast around Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, and for Queenslanders they are a summer treat, split and grilled at the beach house. The tail meat is sweet and rich, somewhere between lobster and prawn. Buy them raw, frozen or fresh, from a fishmonger and ask them to halve them if you like. A common mistake is overcooking, which makes the meat rubbery; it is ready the moment it turns white. Chef's tip: grill flesh side down first to mark it, then turn and baste in the shell.
Australian
All i pebreEel and potato paprika stew
In El Palmar and the other villages around the Albufera lagoon south of Valencia, the restaurants that are famous for paella serve something older first: all i pebre, "garlic and pepper", a brick-red stew of lagoon eel and potatoes thickened with a pounded almond and fried-bread picada. It is rich, garlicky and gently hot, eaten with bread to mop up the sauce. Ask your fishmonger to skin and cut the eel, and handle it with gloves: raw eel blood is irritating, though harmless once cooked. If you can't find eel, monkfish or hake works well. A common mistake is letting the paprika burn; it turns bitter in seconds, so add it off the heat. Chef's tip: break the potatoes with a knife instead of cutting cleanly; the rough edges release starch and thicken the sauce.
Spanish
Midia saganakiMussels with tomato and feta
Thessaloniki is Greece's mussel capital, with farms in the Thermaic Gulf a few kilometres from the seafront ouzeries where this two-handled pan arrives, still bubbling, at the table. Mussels steam open in a quick sauce of peppers, tomato and chilli, and crumbled feta melts into the juices at the end. Bread is essential. The classic version adds a splash of ouzo; this one is alcohol-free, using a pinch of fennel seed for that aniseed note (add 2 tbsp ouzo with the tomatoes if you like). Common mistake: overcooking — take the pan off the heat as soon as the shells open. Chef's tip: buy mussels on the day and keep them in the fridge in a bowl covered with a damp cloth, never in water.
Greek