Grilled cuttlefish seasoned with salmoriglio, a Sicilian recipe that my dad often prepared. When the fishermen returned from the sea after a night of fishing with their boats, a small group of people, including my dad, gathered on the beach to wait for them. That’s when he prepared the grill and the salmoriglio, and in no time, lunch was ready. I would like to clarify the term mollusk, like the cuttlefish. The term mollusk refers to fish that belong to two types of families, those with shells and those without. The first with shells is further divided into categories such as clams, mussels, cockles, fasolari, oysters, scallops, razor clams, sea snails, and limpets. The second family does not have shells, including squid, octopuses, horned octopuses, flying squid, octopuses, and cuttlefish, which I will be cooking and preparing my recipe with today: grilled cuttlefish seasoned with salmoriglio as my dad used to make.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Grill
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 628.30 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 5.85 (g) of which sugars 4.97 (g)
- Proteins 98.19 (g)
- Fat 24.54 (g) of which saturated 2.01 (g)of which unsaturated 0.02 (g)
- Fibers 0.31 (g)
- Sodium 3,067.39 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 240 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 preparing grilled cuttlefish
- 1.54 lbs cuttlefish
- 1.54 lbs cuttlefish
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 chili pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 bunch parsley
- as needed lemon (grated zest)
Tools
- Pan
- Lemon Grater
- Cutting Board
Steps to prepare grilled cuttlefish
As I’ve mentioned many times, I know for sure that all fish markets assist customers by cleaning the fish, which is not insignificant; it helps us a lot. My fish market also does me this favor by preparing the fish, cleaning it for me. At home, I divided the cuttlefish into two parts and made vertical cuts on both sides to resemble a grill, which helps in cooking to prevent curling. I turn on the griddle, and as soon as it’s hot, I start grilling the cuttlefish, it will take 7 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, as the cuttlefish cooks, I prepared the salmoriglio as usual in a glass jar with a hermetic seal. After chopping the parsley, garlic, and chili pepper, I put all the ingredients in the jar along with the oregano, salt, and oil. Shaking it well and for several times, you will see the ingredients blend together, resembling a creamy texture.
With a spoon, I spread the salmoriglio over the cuttlefish, add a generous grating of lemon, and the grilled cuttlefish is ready to be served.
A little tip
To determine if the cuttlefish is fresh (among many ways) and has not been frozen and then thawed, check the ink inside the sac; it should be fluid and not grainy. Once the ink is frozen, it will not fluidify again.
