Warm salad of braised cuttlefish with ink vinaigrette
Item 1 of 1
- medium
- 4
- 45 minutes
Nathan Outlaw's impressive cuttlefish recipe gives you a reason to try this lovely seafood treat. If you like squid, you’ll love this cuttlefish recipe, using an underutilised product of the sea that’s well worth getting to know because, unlike its other relative octopus, the cuttlefish’s fleshy body is substantial. Here the thick, brilliant white meat is braised and the ink sack saved for use in a stunning black vinaigrette.
First published in 2015
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Cuttlefish recipe
- 1000g of whole cuttlefish
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 6 tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 knob of butter
- 100ml of white wine
- 500ml of fish stock
- black pepper, freshly ground
Vinaigrette
- 2 shallots
- 75ml of red wine vinegar
- 150ml of extra virgin olive oil
To plate
- 28 purple sprouting broccoli spears
- 20g of capers
- 4 sprigs of fresh tarragon
- 1/2 lemon
- sea salt
SAVE RECIPE
Method
1
To make this cuttlefish recipe, begin by chopping the onion and carrots, quarter the tomatoes and crush the garlic
2
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat, stir in the vegetables and fry gently, without colouring, for about 5 minutes or until softened
- 1 knob of butter
3
Pour in the wine. Increase the heat to high and boil until the wine has reduced to about a teaspoon of liquid, then pour in the fish stock. Bring to a simmer
- 100ml of white wine
- 500ml of fish stock
4
Clean the cuttlefish, leaving it whole, and set the cuttlefish ink aside
- 1000g of whole cuttlefish
5
Once the pan is simmering, add the cuttlefish. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1½ hours, or until the cuttlefish is tender
6
Strain the contents of the pan through a sieve into a bowl and leave the collected cooking liquor and cuttlefish to cool
7
When the cuttlefish is cool enough to handle, slice across the body into 2cm-thick strips and set aside
8
To make the vinaigrette, finely chop the shallots and place in a bowl with the vinegar
- 2 shallots
- 75ml of red wine vinegar
9
Measure out 75ml of the reserved cooking liquor, add to the bowl and leave to stand for 30 minutes
10
Stir 1 tablespoon of the cuttlefish ink into the shallot mixture, then whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt
- 150ml of extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt
11
Pour about half the vinaigrette into a small saucepan and warm very gently over a low heat – do not let it boil. Add the sliced cuttlefish and heat through for 2-3 minutes
12
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil
13
Add the purple sprouting broccoli and simmer for 2 minutes, until just tender. Drain and place in a large bowl
14
Chop the tarragon and add to the broccoli with the capers
- 4 sprigs of fresh tarragon
- 20g of capers
15
Gently stir in the warm vinaigrette and cuttlefish
16
Add lemon juice to taste and season with sea salt and black pepper
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- sea salt
- black pepper
17
Spoon the cuttlefish recipe onto serving plates and serve with the remaining vinaigrette in a jug on the side
First published in 2015
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