The squid ink risotto is a classic of Italian seafood tradition. There are many versions with or without tomato. Today’s recipe starts from risotto with squid and tomato, flavored and colored with squid ink.
If you like seafood risottos, don’t forget to read this recipe:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 2 Minutes
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 516.00 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 78.48 (g) of which sugars 0.73 (g)
- Proteins 19.19 (g)
- Fat 11.72 (g) of which saturated 1.64 (g)of which unsaturated 0.67 (g)
- Fibers 2.14 (g)
- Sodium 747.48 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 2 people
- 1 cup Carnaroli rice
- 3/8 cup tomato puree
- 2 squid
- 1 qt fish stock
- 1 glass dry white wine
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 bunch parsley
- to taste salt
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
Tools
- 1 Pot 3 qt
- 1 Pot 2 qt
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
Procedure
For a good risotto, use line-caught squid, which are larger and have more ink inside than net-caught ones.
Wash the squid under running water, open them in half, and remove the inner part. In the center of the squid, you will find the ink sacs; handle them carefully and with gloves to avoid puncturing them.
Avoid synthetic or bottled ink, it doesn’t have the same taste, aroma, and flavor as fresh squid ink.
Start by toasting the rice in a hot pot. You don’t need to over-toast the rice; 2 minutes is enough. Longer might burn or make it too dry.
For seafood risottos, I avoid adding butter and onion so as not to overpower the fish flavor. If you wish, you can use a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Now that the rice is toasted, add the squid cut into cubes and the whole garlic clove, and stir for 2-3 minutes on high heat. Once the squid and rice are flavored, deglaze with the dry white wine.
When the wine has completely evaporated, you can proceed with cooking. The wine is completely evaporated when you no longer smell its acidic aroma.
Start adding the hot fish stock to the risotto one ladle at a time to prevent cooking from stopping. When the added broth is fully absorbed, add more.
Halfway through cooking, instead of broth, add the tomato puree and squid ink sacs, stirring well to avoid the rice sticking and to distribute the ink throughout the dish.
Cook for another 5 minutes, remove it from the heat while still al dente, and add sauce and a drizzle of oil. Let it rest for a couple of minutes; the risotto will continue cooking, becoming perfect.
Since this is a squid ink risotto, there is no need to add cheese or butter to avoid covering or altering the taste of the ingredients.
Your squid ink risotto is ready!
Plating Tips:
Use a white plate, and decorate with strips of pan-seared squid. The beauty of this dish lies in the intense black color that should stand out.
Which wine to pair with squid ink risotto:
The perfect pairing is a white wine that can enhance the taste of the squid and the aromatic notes of the tomato. For example, one of my favorite wines is Gavi.
