Spelt risotto cooked in ink with squid and sea aster

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This striking squid ink risotto recipe by Mark Hix uses spelt instead of rice, grains packed with protein which make a hearty and memorable starter dish. While the ink is used to give the spelt risotto its dramatic colour, the rest of the squid is fried lightly in butter and tossed with chopped herbs and sea aster (an easily foraged sea vegetable). Ask your fishmonger to prepare the squid for you to make this starter recipe even easier, or learn how to clean a squid yourself if you have time.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Spelt risotto

  • 1 squid, cleaned and ink sac reserved
  • 200g of spelt, soaked in cold water for 3 hours
  • 2 tbsp of rapeseed oil
  • 1l fish stock
  • 80g of butter

To serve

Method

1
Before cooking, place the spelt in a bowl and cover completely with cold water. Cover with a cloth and set aside, leaving to soak for 3 hours
  • 200g of spelt, soaked in cold water for 3 hours
2
After this time, place a large pan over a low heat and add the rapeseed oil. Drain the soaked spelt, then add to the pan with the oil and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently, until the grains are lightly toasted
  • 2 tbsp of rapeseed oil
3
Carefully burst the ink sac and measure out 50g of ink, discarding the rest or reserving for future use. Stir through the ink and add the fish stock a ladle at a time, allowing the liquid to fully be absorbed each time before adding any more
  • 1 squid, cleaned and ink sac reserved
4
Meanwhile, cook the squid. Heat a heavy frying pan with the rest of the butter until foamy. Weigh out 150g of squid (the rest can be reserved for future use) and cut into chunks, then fry in the butter for 1 minute. Stir in the chopped herbs and sea aster and allow the sea aster to wilt, then remove from the heat and set aside, keeping warm until ready to serve
5
Once all the stock has been added and the spelt is tender and cooked through, stir in the butter and whisk lightly to incorporate. Test the consistency of the stock (it should be wet but not runny), adding a little extra stock to loosen if required
6
Divide the spelt risotto between plates, scattering over the cooked squid to serve
First published in 2015

Mark Hix’s impact on British food is legendary, with multiple restaurants and cookbooks shaping our understanding of the nation’s cuisine.

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