Preparation

• On youtube I found → this video where the cleaning of a cuttlefish is described in detail: how to remove eyes and beak, how to peel the cuttlefish, and how to retrieve the ink sac.

  In brief
  • wash the cuttlefish under running water and dry it with kitchen paper towels;
  • remove the eyes, the beak, and the bone;
  • rinse the cuttlefish;
  • proceed with removing the innards:
  – cut the mantle part covering the bone;
  – gently extract the innards by tearing or cutting them with a small knife: eggs, cuttlefish milk, and ink sac as one block, then separately livers and gills.
  The eggs and cuttlefish milk are a real delicacy, and even the livers are edible.
  Identify the ink sac and remove it gently whole to avoid spilling its contents; the walls are very thin and easily break, so keep a small glass or bowl handy in case you need to quickly recover the contents.
  The gills should be discarded.

  Lastly, peel the cuttlefish: consider that the skin is edible so it’s not a necessary operation.
  • peel the skin off by pulling it along the mantle on one side and the other.

  The cuttlefish is clean.

• Set aside the ink sac for the preparation of:
  • pasta with cuttlefish ink;
  • integral and deamidated cuttlefish ink risotto;
  or, if you don’t intend to use it immediately, you can store it as follows:
  • freeze the cuttlefish ink in tomato sauce.

• Take the cuttlefish out of the fridge at least half an hour before cooking.

  Cut the cuttlefish tentacles into pieces.

  In a small pan, heat a sprinkle of garlic powder.
  Deglaze with a small glass of white wine.
  Add the tentacles to the pan, stir, and sauté quickly.
  Let them cool.

  In a bowl, pour
  • the whole wheat breadcrumbs;
  • the grated cheese;
  in roughly equal amounts and according to the size of the cuttlefish;
  • the salt;
  • the pepper;
  • the chopped parsley.
  You can further enhance the filling by adding a handful of chopped capers and a handful of pine nuts.

  Add the tentacles, drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, and mix the ingredients.

  With the help of a spoon or teaspoon, fill the cuttlefish.
  Press the filling inside the cuttlefish until the sac’s brim, they must be well stuffed, and close with a toothpick.

• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the stuffed cuttlefish on top.

  Briefly preheat the oven.
  Bake at 356°F in a fan oven for about 20 minutes, turning the cuttlefish halfway through cooking.

  Plate.
  Grind some more pepper and drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil.

  Your Sicilian stuffed cuttlefish are ready.

  Enjoy your meal!

  

• To be served whole if small or sliced if large.

• Follow the procedure described for:
  • cleaning cuttlefish and extracting the ink;
  • stuffing the cuttlefish.

  Continue with cooking the stuffed cuttlefish in homemade tomato sauce.

  In a pan, heat a sprinkle of garlic powder.
  Add chopped onion and let it soften for a few seconds.
  Deglaze with a small glass of white wine.

  Place the cuttlefish in the pan and sauté for about a minute on each side, turning them gently.
  Cover with tomato sauce and enough water to rinse the sauce container.
  Add a pinch of salt and grind some pepper.
  Let it cook with a preferably glass lid and over low heat for about 20 minutes according to the size of the cuttlefish until fully cooked and the sauce has thickened.

  Plate.

  Your cuttlefish stuffed in sauce is ready.

• • stuffed squid;
  • stuffed flying squid.