Squid Ink Risotto

Ingredients

• 800 g Cuttlefish
• 8 g Cuttlefish ink
• 320 g Vialone nano rice
• 1.2 l Fish broth
• 80 ml White wine
• 1 Onion
• 1 clove Garlic
• 4 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp Flat-leaf parsley
• 1 pinch Salt

Steps

1. Clean the cuttlefish: pull off the head, remove the internal bone, the beak and the eyes.
2. Carefully detach the silvery ink sacs and set them aside in a small bowl.
3. Rinse the cuttlefish and cut the bodies into thin strips.
4. Keep the fish broth simmering gently in a separate pot, so it is always hot when you ladle it into the rice.
5. In a wide pan, gently soften the finely chopped onion and the whole garlic clove in the olive oil over low heat, until translucent but not coloured.
6. Discard the garlic.
7. Add the cuttlefish strips and let them cook for about 10 minutes, until they release their water and become tender.
8. Raise the heat, add the rice and toast it for 2 minutes, stirring, until the grains are translucent at the edges.
9. Pour in the white wine and let it evaporate completely, stirring.
10. Begin adding the hot broth one ladle at a time, stirring often and adding more only when the previous ladle is almost absorbed.
11. Continue for about 14 minutes.
12. Dilute the cuttlefish ink with a little hot broth.
13. Stir it into the risotto so the rice turns evenly black.
14. Continue cooking and adding broth until the rice is al dente, about 4 more minutes.
15. Turn off the heat, adjust the salt sparingly (the ink and broth are already salty), and add a splash of raw olive oil.
16. Stir vigorously to make it creamy.
17. Let it rest for 1 minute.
18. Serve, sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Tips

• Use Vialone Nano or Carnaroli rice for the right creaminess. Never add cheese to a seafood risotto. If fresh ink is hard to find, supermarket ink sachets work well. Taste before salting, as the ink and broth are already quite salty.