Light cuttlefish pasta is a light and flavorful seafood dish that is simple to prepare.
A tasty alternative when you don’t have cuttlefish ink available or prefer not to use it — also ideal for those who prefer a milder sauce.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 6.35 oz whole wheat penne
- 2 cuttlefish (with ink sacs)
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- 2 dried red chilies (whole)
- 4 stems parsley
- 1 fl oz white wine
- 2 tbsp tomato sauce (homemade)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch mixed peppercorns (with grinder)
- to taste bottarga (in slab or powdered)
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil (to finish)
Suggested tools
- Knife
- Cutting board
- 1 Pan with lid, preferably glass
Preparation
Cuttlefish ink is not used in this preparation.
You can recover and store it for another recipe.
For a detailed step-by-step procedure you can read the tutorial by clicking the following link: freezing cuttlefish ink in tomato sauce | no crystals or granules.
On YouTube you’ll find a very clear video on cleaning cuttlefish in which it is described in detail how to recover the ink sac.
In short
Rinse the cuttlefish under running water and pat dry with kitchen paper towels.
Remove the eyes and the beak and extract the pen/internal shell.
Rinse again.
Proceed to remove the viscera.
The removal of the pen leaves open a part of the mantle:
– cut the skin that covered the pen to expose the cavity that contains the viscera;
– gently remove the viscera by pulling them out or cutting them with a small knife: the eggs, milt and the ink sac in a single block, then separately the livers and the gills.
The eggs and the milt are a real delicacy and the livers are also edible.
The gills should be discarded.
Locate the ink sac and separate it gently and whole so as not to spill its contents — the walls are very thin and break easily, so keep a small glass or bowl at hand in case you need to recover the ink quickly.
Skin the cuttlefish: note that the skin is edible so this step is not necessary:
– detach the skin by pulling it along the mantle from one side and the other.The cuttlefish is clean and ready for cooking, whole or cut into portions.
Whether fresh or thawed, take the cuttlefish out of the fridge at least half an hour before cooking.
Rinse again.
Pat dry with kitchen paper towels.Cut the cuttlefish into strips.
In a pan heat a sprinkle of garlic powder, a couple of whole dried red chilies and a few parsley stems.
Deglaze with 1 fl oz of white wine.Add the cuttlefish including the eggs and milt and brown over high heat.
Remove the red chilies and the parsley stems from the pan.Add a couple of tablespoons of tomato sauce.
Add salt and grind pepper.Cook the pasta al dente, drain it and rinse quickly under running water.
In the meantime, heat the cuttlefish.Pour the pasta into the pan with the cuttlefish and stir.
Plate.
Grind a little more pepper.Your light cuttlefish pasta is ready.
Enjoy your meal.
The finishing touch
A sprinkling of bottarga and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil!Cuttlefish pasta is a complete dish; add your serving of vegetables to compose a balanced meal or one-dish meal that helps to keep blood sugar stable.
Storage, tips and variations
For a more Mediterranean and flavorful variation, add a handful of capers.
Use whole-wheat pasta to increase the fiber content.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Mollusks and cholesterol
In our dietary scheme, calamari and squid, octopus and cuttlefish are among the foods classified as “to be consumed occasionally”.
Indeed, although they are lean mollusks, they are a source of cholesterol and intake should be limited.
Nutritional guidelines recommend a dietary cholesterol intake below 300 mg per day, a limit that can drop to 200 mg per day in the presence of hypercholesterolemia and hyperglycemia.
Therefore, cuttlefish does not directly affect blood sugar, but in the case of hyperglycemia, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes it should be consumed in moderation.
What is bottarga?
Tuna bottarga consists of salted and dried tuna eggs.
Mullet bottarga consists of salted and dried mullet (also called grey mullet) eggs.
It is calorie-dense but used in small amounts, grated or powdered, to flavor dishes.
The calories come mainly from high biological value proteins and fats while carbohydrates are absent.
It’s a bit like adding grated cheese to a first course that isn’t fish-based.
It is also a good source of omega-3.
In Sicily, bottarga is widely used; I take the opportunity to buy it when we are around Marzamemi — a small fishing village where historic fish processing plants are found — Noto or Syracuse.
