Risotto al Nero di
Seppia
Venetian-style cuttlefish-ink risotto
Risotto rice absorbs a dark cuttlefish sauce, bringing together tender seafood, white wine and the briny flavor of its ink.
Loose black risotto with cuttlefishRice turned black,
a Venetian seafood primo.
Risotto al nero di seppia is rice cooked with cuttlefish and its dark ink, a familiar preparation in Venetian cooking. The ink colors the grains and adds a savory marine flavor. Slowly cooked cuttlefish supplies tender pieces throughout the rice.
Seppia means cuttlefish, though English menus often use the broader phrase squid-ink risotto. The home recipe chooses cleaned cuttlefish and packaged food-grade cuttlefish ink, with a little tomato in the braise. It finishes loose enough to spread on the plate.
Explore by food: Fish & seafood · Rice & grains
Let’s make risotto al nero di seppia.
Four first-course portions with cleaned cuttlefish and food-grade packaged cuttlefish ink. Serve it loose.
Four first-course portions, beginning with 500 g cleaned cuttlefish, weighed after bone, skin, beak and innards are removed.
What you’ll need
- 500 gcleaned cuttlefish, body and tentacles cut into 1 cm pieces
- 8 gfood-grade packaged cuttlefish ink, or packet quantity for 320 g rice
- 320 gCarnaroli rice
- 120 gonion, finely chopped and divided
- 1garlic clove, crushed
- 45 mlextra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 150 mldry white wine, divided
- 15 gtomato paste
- 150 mlwater, plus up to 150 ml more for the braise
- 1.3 lprepared low-salt fish stock
- 20 gunsalted butter
- 1 tbspchopped parsley
- to tastefine salt and black pepper
Prepared fish stock and cleaned cuttlefish are starting ingredients; making stock or cleaning whole cuttlefish is separate. The 90-minute cooking allowance covers the braise followed by rice cooking, with stock heating alongside. This preparation has no cheese or salad garnish.
How to make it
- 01
Start the cuttlefish sauce
Heat 30 ml oil in a lidded saucepan. Soften half the onion for 8 minutes, then add garlic and cuttlefish for 3 minutes. Add 100 ml wine and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, ink and 150 ml water.
- 02
Braise until tender
Cover and simmer gently for 35–45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cuttlefish is tender when pierced. Add measured extra water in small splashes if drying. Larger or thicker pieces can take longer. Remove garlic. Meanwhile bring stock to a bare simmer in a separate pan.
- 03
Toast the rice
In a wide heavy pan, soften remaining onion in remaining 15 ml oil for 6–8 minutes. Add rice and stir for 2 minutes, until grains are hot and lightly translucent at the edges. Add remaining 50 ml wine and let it bubble away.
- 04
Cook with stock and sauce
Add a ladle of hot stock and simmer, stirring often. Add more stock a ladle at a time as the previous addition is mostly absorbed. After 8 minutes add all the cuttlefish sauce. Continue with stock for about 10–12 minutes more, until rice is tender with a slight bite. Taste before salting because ink and stock vary.
- 05
Finish loosely
Take off heat and stir in butter, parsley and pepper. Rest for 2 minutes. Add a final splash of hot stock if needed so it spreads gently when spooned onto plates. Serve immediately.
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