Cuttlefish Stew

See also cuttlefish ragu/ braised squid. Welcome additions aioli, potatoes, salsa verde.

I have very fond memories of big pots of cuttlefish slowly slowly braising in the hours leading up to a service. Anxiously tasting as the clock ticks closer to service time as the flesh softens so very slowly. Somehow it would always have that melt in the mouth texture & incomparable flavour just in time.

My first time braising cuttlefish was a Spring morning while working at The River Cafe in London. I know it was Spring as we added peas at the very end. Joseph Trivelli was the chef in charge on that day. He called me over to set my task for the morning. Sitting at the table closest to the wood oven, he was writing his menu for lunch service & began drawing rectangular shapes on his napkin. “I want you to make a cuttlefish stew & cut them into shapes kind of like this - does that make sense? I’ll make it along with you.” I nodded and retreated to the kitchen to fetch a bundle of roscoff onions & garlic to form the base of the dish.

I had never cooked a cuttlefish or squid for that matter in this way previously. To me squid would always have to be cooked FAST either over a grill or deep fried. However as one of my pals would explain to me - ‘you either cook cuttlefish super fast or super slow’. I nodded along.

Anyway the plan for this dish was slowly soften roscoff onions, garlic & a big bunch of thyme, parsley & whole fresh chilies. Once that was the case I turned up the heat and added my rectangular shaped cuttle pieces, gave them a nice blast of heat & then deglazed the pan with a bottle of dry white wine. Soavé in this case. I covered the pan with a cartouche, or in typical River Cafe fashion, a scrunched up piece of baking paper.

Anxiously I would taste the dish every so often, with the still rubbery texture of the cuttle making me increasingly nervous. Eventually at 11.45am I tasted with Joseph. It’s pretty much there he said. ‘Add your peas now so they keep their colour. Leave it for another 10 minutes and you’re good. Let’s serve it on a bruschetta for lunch.’

The finished product took on so much more flavour than I anticipated. When presented, cuttlefish stew can often look quite a little unappealing.

I’ve since cooked this in many different places including my first pop-up dinner back in Dublin & myself and my pal James Lang’s ‘Lille Bar’ at Lille Bakery in Copenhagen. Each time I’m a bit hesitant because I’m aware that isn’t often the most flattering plate of food to look at. However, having been told by numerous people at each location that it’s the nicest thing they’ve ever eaten, my confidence is replenished.

Ingredients:

For 6 - 8 people

1 large Cuttlefish or Squid (1kg)

2 large roscoff onions (white onion also good)

6 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon ground fennel seed

1 bunch fresh parsely

1 bunch thyme

1 fresh chili

3- 4 bay leaves

500ml dry white wine

Pairs favourably with a lemony aioli!