Freezing cuttlefish ink in tomato sauce is an alternative to freezing the ink sac or bladder whole or just its contents.
The ink sac when frozen tends to crystallize: freezing changes its consistency, and the cuttlefish ink when thawed may appear grainy.
With the method my mom uses, the cuttlefish ink extracted from the ink sac or bladder during the cleaning of the cuttlefish is added to the tomato sauce and is perfectly preserved in the freezer.
To be used after thawing.
Cuttlefish is low-calorie and low in cholesterol.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
When buying cuttlefish, note that the female cuttlefish has less ink compared to the male but has eggs instead.
- 2 cuttlefish (including ink sacs or bladders)
- 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce (homemade)
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- 1 small glass white wine
- cuttlefish (chopped)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch mixed peppercorns (with grinder)
- cuttlefish ink in tomato sauce
Suggested Tools
- Paper towel
- 1 Knife
- 1 Small glass or a small bowl
- Containers for freezer
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Pan with lid, preferably glass
Preparation
Consider 2 ink sacs or bladders thus 2 cuttlefish for 1 1/4 cups of tomato sauce for 2 servings of cuttlefish ink sauce.
Prepare fresh tomato sauce:
• homemade tomato sauce with mom’s recipe.
On youtube I found → this video that details how to clean a cuttlefish: how to remove eyes and beak, how to peel the cuttlefish, and how to retrieve the ink sac.
In short
• rinse the cuttlefish under running water and dry it with kitchen paper towels;
• remove the eyes, beak, and bone;
• rinse the cuttlefish again;
• proceed with removing the guts:
– cut the part of the mantle that covered the bone;
– gently extract the guts by pulling or cutting them with a small knife: eggs, cuttlefish milk, and ink sac in one go, then separately liver and gills.
The eggs and cuttlefish milk are delicacies, and even the liver is edible.
Identify the ink sac or bladder and remove it gently whole to avoid spilling its contents, the walls are very thin and break easily, so have a small glass or bowl nearby in case you need to recover its contents.
The gills should be discarded.Finally, peel the cuttlefish: note that the skin is edible, so it’s not a necessary step.
• peel the skin along the mantle on one side and the other.The cuttlefish is cleaned and ready for cooking, to be used whole or portioned.
The ink sac can be stored but not frozen because it tends to crystallize.
WE SOLVE THIS BY FREEZING THE CUTTLEFISH INK IN TOMATO SAUCE.
Pour the tomato sauce into a bowl or freezer container.
Gently pinch the ink sac or bladder and let its contents fall into the tomato sauce, mix, and place in the freezer.Your cuttlefish ink frozen in tomato sauce is ready.
To be used after thawing and completed with the cuttlefish.Thaw the cuttlefish ink and tomato by placing it in the fridge the night before along with the cuttlefish if they are also frozen.
Whether fresh or thawed, take the cuttlefish out of the fridge at least half an hour before cooking them.
Wash the gutted and emptied cuttlefish under running water.
Chop the body and tentacles of the cuttlefish into pieces.In a pan, heat a sprinkle of garlic powder.
Deglaze with a small glass of white wine.
Place the cuttlefish, including eggs and cuttlefish milk, in the pan, stir, and brown over high heat.
Add salt and grind the pepper.
Let it cook covered, preferably with a glass lid, on low heat for 2-3 minutes.
Pour the cuttlefish ink and tomato into the pan and heat to a boil.
Continue cooking on low heat for a few minutes until the sauce thickens enough.Your cuttlefish ink sauce is ready to dress the pasta.
Enjoy your meal!
Naturally, by diluting the cuttlefish ink in tomato sauce, the cuttlefish ink sauce may turn out more red and less black but just as tasty and flavorful.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Why is the cuttlefish ink grainy?
It has been frozen.
The ink sac when frozen tends to crystallize: freezing changes its consistency, and the cuttlefish ink when thawed may appear grainy.What are cuttlefish milk?
The cuttlefish milk are named for their milky color.
But what exactly are cuttlefish milk?
In my research, I found differing opinions:
– some say they are the female gonads or ovaries as well as the unfertilized eggs of the female cuttlefish;
– others say they are the sperm sac of the male cuttlefish.
I believe they correspond to what in Sicily we call minne or minni re sicci, meaning breasts, which being in female cuttlefish would support the theory of female gonads or ovaries.
Supporting this theory, the female has two large nidamental glands plus accessory nidamental glands:
• the nidamental glands, whitish in color, produce the adhesive substance that coats the eggs;
• the nidament is the cluster of eggs united by the adhesive substance secreted by the nidamental glands;
• the accessory nidamental glands colorless in young animals become intensely orange in mature females.
In any case, whether nidamental glands or minne, they are delicacies: white, soft, and delicate.How to distinguish a male and female cuttlefish?
Theoretically, by the back:
– the male cuttlefish usually has a striped back;
– touching the back of the female cuttlefish reveals circles.
Thanks to Anna Martano and Rosario Giunta for the following tidbit:
The male cuttlefish has more ink.
The male cuttlefish has a larger and wider body than the female cuttlefish and more ink to defend its den.
The female cuttlefish has less ink but has eggs instead.
