Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia
Dramatic black pasta with cuttlefish ink, tender squid rings and a touch of white wine. Pure Sicilian coast on a plate.
Ingredients
- 400gspaghetti
- 500gfresh squid, cleaned
- 2 sachetssquid ink
- 4 clovesgarlic
- 150mldry white wine
- 1fresh chilli
- Flat-leafparsley
- Extra virginolive oil
Method
Slice squid into rings. Keep tentacles whole.
Sauté garlic and chilli in olive oil. Add squid, cook 2 minutes.
Deglaze with white wine. Add squid ink dissolved in 50ml water.
Cook pasta al dente, reserve a cup of pasta water.
Toss pasta in the inky sauce, loosen with pasta water. Finish with parsley.
Frequently asked
What does squid ink pasta taste like?
Of the sea, but mild — briny and savoury rather than fishy. The ink adds depth and colour more than flavour; most of the taste comes from the cuttlefish itself and the wine it cooks in.
Where do you get squid ink?
From the sac inside the cuttlefish, or in sachets from a fishmonger or Italian grocer. Sachets are consistent and perfectly good — a whole cuttlefish gives you both the ink and the meat.
Learn to make Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia with Chef Gabriele
A recipe gets you most of the way there. The rest is in the hands — how the dough should feel, when to stop working it, what the pan should sound like. Chef Gabriele teaches the hands-on pasta making classin Leichhardt, Sydney's Little Italy, in small groups where everyone cooks.
