Seppie in Umido col Nero
Cuttlefish stewed slowly in their own glossy ink with white wine and tomato, served over soft white polenta. Known locally in Venetian dialect as sepe col nero.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 460 kcal
Equipment
- •Heavy-based saucepan or Dutch oven
- •Medium saucepan
- •Wooden spoon
- •Chef's knife
- •Whisk
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 460 kcal
- fat
- 12 g
- carbs
- 54 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 34 g
- calories
- 460 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Warm the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium-low heat.
- 2
Add the chopped onion and garlic, cooking gently until the onion collapses and turns sweet without browning.
- 3
Add the cuttlefish strips and cook for five minutes until they turn opaque and release their juices.
- 4
Pour in the white wine and simmer briskly until the sharp alcohol aroma dissipates.
- 5
Puncture the ink sacs into a small bowl, mix with two tablespoons of warm water, and stir smooth.
- 6
Pour the ink and tomato purée into the cuttlefish, stirring until the sauce turns uniform glossy black.
- 7
Cover with a lid and simmer very gently for 40 minutes until the cuttlefish is completely tender.
- 8
Bring one litre of salted water to the boil in another saucepan and gradually whisk in the white maize flour.
- 9
Cook the polenta over low heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon for 40 minutes until thick and creamy.
- 10
Season the stew with sea salt and stir through the chopped parsley.
- 11
Spoon warm polenta into shallow bowls and top with generous ladles of the black cuttlefish stew.
Chef's tips
Handle the cuttlefish ink sacs over a small bowl to catch every drop without staining your work surface. If the cuttlefish needs extra time to tenderise and the sauce becomes dry, stir in a splash of warm water.
Ingredient substitutions
- white maize flour (farina di mais bianco) → traditional yellow polenta flour, though the delicate flavour and contrast of white polenta is traditional
- fresh cuttlefish ink sacs → jarred or packeted cuttlefish ink diluted in warm water
Storage
Keep leftover cuttlefish stew refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two days.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a saucepan over low heat, adding a small splash of water to loosen the thick sauce.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Rushing the cooking time, which leaves the cuttlefish unpleasantly rubbery instead of fork-tender.
- •Using too much tomato, which overpowers the mineral sea flavour of the cuttlefish ink.
- •Neglecting to stir the polenta regularly, causing lumps to form and the bottom to scorch.
Serving suggestions
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