Spaghetti al nero di seppia
Squid ink spaghetti
Spaghetti al nero di seppia: Venice's black squid-ink spaghetti with cuttlefish
In Venice and along the Sicilian coast, cuttlefish are cooked in their own ink to make a glossy black sauce that tastes deeply of the sea, a little sweet and briny. Venetian families eat it with spaghetti or with polenta in spring, when cuttlefish come into the lagoon to breed. It looks dramatic and stains everything, including your lips, which is part of the fun. Most fishmongers sell cuttlefish ready cleaned and ink in small sachets. Alcohol is used here: white wine, which you can replace with fish stock. Chef's tip: cook the cuttlefish slowly for half an hour; it goes tough after a quick cook and only turns tender again with time.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz spaghetti
- 1 tbsp coarse saltfor the pasta water
- 1 ⅛ lb cleaned cuttlefish or squidcut into strips
- ¼ oz cuttlefish or squid ink2 sachets
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onionfinely chopped
- 2 cloves garlicchopped
- ½ cup dry white wineor fish stock
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- ¾ cup water or fish stock
- 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsleychopped
- 1 pinch chilli flakesopt
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Warm 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Cook 1 small onion for 6 minutes, until soft, then add 2 cloves garlic and 1 pinch chilli flakes, if using, for 1 minute.
7 minStep 2: Add 1 ⅛ lb cleaned cuttlefish or squid and cook for 3 minutes, until opaque. Pour in ½ cup dry white wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes; the alcohol cooks off, or use fish stock instead.
5 minStep 3: Stir in 1 tbsp tomato purée and ¾ cup water or fish stock, cover and simmer gently for 25–30 minutes, until the cuttlefish is tender when bitten. Add a splash of water if it gets dry. Common mistake: stopping after 10 minutes; cuttlefish is tough until it has had a long, slow cook.
30 minStep 4: Stir ¼ oz cuttlefish or squid ink into the sauce and cook for 2 minutes, until glossy and black.
2 minStep 5: Meanwhile cook 14 oz spaghetti in salted boiling water with 1 tbsp coarse salt until just al dente.
10 minStep 6: Drain, keeping some water, and toss the spaghetti in the sauce for 1–2 minutes, adding water until it coats each strand. Stir in 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and serve. Wear an apron.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 76 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does spaghetti al nero di seppia take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of spaghetti?
- Linguine or any long pasta, same amount.
- What can I use instead of small onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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