Spaghetti in Squid Ink Sauce

fx

Sun, 1 May 2016 08:05:46 GMT

Ah I think the name does not help much in spreading this Welsh delicacy across the world!

SUZANNE GLYN TOPZAND

Tue, 26 Apr 2016 20:30:59 GMT

In Wales (where I was born) we have a delecy called Larva Bread. this is simply cleaned and cooked seaweed collected on a beach "farm" near Swansea. As I am in south Africa friends either send or bring tins of the Larva Bread to me. I intend to experiment on using this Bread (which is not bread!) to a tomato, onion, parsley and garlic sauce and serving it with pasta. Wish me luck!

fx

Thu, 31 Mar 2016 15:21:01 GMT

Wow, self-caught squid, that must be memorable in itself! It must taste awfully better than the frozen stuff we get in landlocked nations like ours.

fx

Thu, 31 Mar 2016 15:20:08 GMT

Try with a little bit of your ink at first, mix then add more if you feel the coloring is too grey or if it lacks the distinctive iodine taste.

fx

Wed, 9 Mar 2016 05:52:53 GMT

Who cares about authenticity if the result was good!

fx

Wed, 9 Mar 2016 05:48:28 GMT

fx

Tue, 8 Mar 2016 18:59:42 GMT

Ah cooking pasta for large parties is a most tricky business unless nobody minds overcooked pasta...

fx

Tue, 8 Mar 2016 18:58:43 GMT

Hope you got around to trying that recipe!

fx

Tue, 8 Mar 2016 13:14:57 GMT

Gracias

fx

Thu, 3 Mar 2016 12:26:58 GMT

Good thanks.

Ruby

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 11:43:51 GMT

I am not a squid girl myself (something about the teutxre, I think), but your photos sure are gorgeous!As far as my best entertaining tip goes...don"t be afraid to let a little potluck sneak into your life! If someone offers to bring a dessert, or some wine, I"m always more than happy to have that taken care of. :)

Kennedy

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:33:26 GMT

Wow.. I"ve never considered ciknoog squid.. but that looks AMAZING and now I want to try. Thanks for this post! I haven"t hosted large dinner parties, so the best tip I can give is for when we have guests.. and that"s to tag team. My husband and I always do best when we tag team; he takes one part of the meal (often the main dinner dish) and I do one part (often sides and dessert). We always enjoy the prep and the meal so much more that way.

The Big Cheese

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 07:05:23 GMT

I buy my squid ink at McLean"s Specialty Foods. Their shop is in Nanaimo, British Columbia, CANADA. It is a fabulous gourmet shop if you are ever in the neighbourhood. Otherwise you can find them on the web at www.mcleansfoods.com

The Nero di Seppia (aka Black squid ink) is the Casa Rinaldi brand from Modena, Italy. $20cdn for a 200g jar.

Wistano L Orozco

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 04:15:58 GMT

El Comisario Montalbano estar�a encantado. Gran Blog!

clark

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:30:16 GMT

Thanks for the recipe. I follwed it with a few enhancements. I dissolved a few anchovies in olive oil for a layer of flavor. I also added some shrimp and baby octopus and scallops, a frutti de mare with squid sauce. I know its not authentic.. but my family and friends loved it.

Neal

Mon, 9 Jan 2012 17:44:09 GMT

Thanks for your recipe. I made it the other night and it was a big hit. Of course it wasn"t quite the same, it"s cooking after all, not rocket surgery or something. I caught the squid myself in the wee small hours of the morning. There weren"t very many and they weren"t very big, so I didn"t have as much ink as you said to use. Also I deep-fried (not totally deep) the heads and rings and added them at the end instead of cheese or bread crumbs. One more thing, we always try to have some cans of "El Pato" sauce, it has tomato and peppers. Of course it has a nice picture of a duck on the can, too.
Getting the ink out of the squid reminded me of working on a deep-sea fishing boat many years ago. We used squid as bait, lots of it. The ink is pretty rough on your hands, if you have any cuts. It"s like the opposite of some things, not to be taken externally. On the boat, the squid came in frozen blocks and the boxes said "not for human consumption" but after a while it was irresistible. There was a Japanese "fishing master" on the boat. Once during a storm we got bored and made sashimi out of the bait, it was fine. This was in the Gulf of Alaska in the dead of winter, so it was dark all the time. If we drifted with the deck lights on, we would get those great big squid next to the boat. So naturally we tried one, not too good. I read they use ammonia to control their buoyancy, not having swim bladders. I don"t know, but the little ones are way better.
Thanks again for the great article.

Feyona

Mon, 9 Jan 2012 06:37:33 GMT

I"ve been wanting to make this dish for the longest time, so I"m so happy I found your website! However, the squid ink I bought is in a jar, not in packets. How much should I add? Would the 2 packets be around 4-5 tablespoons? Thank you for your advice and for the recipe! I can"t wait to try it.

Ron Trainer

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 03:06:20 GMT

I enjoy your terrific website! You really should take part in a competition for one of the most reliable posts on the internet.
Are you going to publish some more about it?
If you have time you should check my blog.

Bless you for posting this. I have been looking for it awhile right now.

Katrina Manalang

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:01:08 GMT

Hi Sir! Is that your own recipe? Do you own a restaurant? If not, I"m still interested with the recipe. Maybe we can feature it in our show, Rated K. Here"s my mobile no. 09068610331. I"ll wait for your reply. Tnx

fatbelly fred

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:45:52 GMT

Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou, i"ve been trying to find an authentic cuttlefish dish to put on in my soon to open restaurant in north devon Engand.With huge thanks to Sophie for giving it a bit of a twist.I"m fortunate to have a cuttlefish processing factory near my home and they"ve agreed to supply me with the ink and cuttlefish.
I"m also drawn to the dark side to taste something which isn"t quite acceptable to the eye.Frank close your eyes and dive in you wont be disappointed, a little suprised but not disappointed.Happy days and my fondest regards, thanks again.

olivia

Mon, 8 Aug 2011 11:10:51 GMT

I just made this pasta for dinner tonight, FANTASTIC!! I can"t wait to use this recipe again for a dinner party. Thank you so much.

Erine Elloso

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:58:03 GMT

Hi FX

Am from Philippines but based here in Dubai. My gf and I have been cooking different pasta recipes these past few days and today I asked her what kind of pasta recipe to cook and that I only have shrimp and squid in my ref. She suggested Pasta Negra so I started googling here and there for almost an hour, I was about to give up and just look for another kind of pasta recipe not until I came across your website,,,,and then there was light! ahaah!! I was amazed with your photos as well as your precise instruction,,I SO LOVE IT!! Thank You. It was very helpful. CHEERS!! Wish me luck tonight eheh!!!

romeu pinto

Wed, 8 Jun 2011 21:20:44 GMT

your article is fantastic.your step by step recipe sounds very interesting . whilst i was in venice in 2004. I ate this dish and since then i fell in love.The only reason i did not try to cook this dish is because i could not get my hand on squid ink.

Sofie

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 05:04:45 GMT

I just read your recipe for pasta con nero. I am sicilian and have eaten this dish since I was a little girl.
It is indeed made with cuttlefish. However, you may have missed a part that is unknown to you. Instead of cheese
we springle the pasta the breadcrumbs that have been sauted with sugar. A fistful of breadcrumbs, combined with
a couple of tablespoons of oil, cook over medium heat until breadcrumbs and oil are well combined, then add sugar to
give it a sweet taste. Cook util golden and serve over your pasta con nero. Try it, it will be more delicious then
putting cheese on it. Trust me, I was born in Cefalu, a large tourist, fishing town, and that is one of our specialty.
Buon Apetite!!!

Michelle

Mon, 7 Mar 2011 14:16:25 GMT

how many people is the dish for?

tony

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:05:39 GMT

i am going to make this recipe tomorrow, i had to buy ink in a 1 lb. jar. how much do i use. the recipe says 2 bags, how much is in each bag. please get back to me as soon as u can. thanks. Tony

Drew Knapp

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 01:10:29 GMT

Awesome - thank you for the detailed explanation.

Actually, squid are not fish (they are mollusks) so maybe that accounts for the exception to the sacrosanct cheese rule?

Marife

Sat, 4 Sep 2010 09:03:57 GMT

I"m gonna try this dish later. looks great and I think it tastes good. Thanks for the recipe. :-)

fx

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:11:28 GMT

Iodine, in this context, is a positive! It"s the taste of the air (almost a taste, beyond just a smell) when you are driving nearer to the coast. Ah, there is no baggy animal kingdom, thanks for the zoological tip then!
The blackness of the dish, as I try to explain, makes it exit the realm of what is considered edible in common experience, and is part of the kick.

Frank

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:16:28 GMT

Yes I was curious, you said there was an iodine taste. As I recall drinking iodine is vile enough to make one vomit. Does it taste exactly like iodine or just a hint such as like a metallic type flavor. Also there is no such thing as the, "baggy animal kingdom", just had to point that out sorry for being a smartass. I obviously have never had squid ink pasta before but have been curious about it for some time. I"m not so sure I can imagine drinking a bottle of iodine though. Also that last picture kind of scares me away, it looks like some sort of rotting animal festering in putrid slime, but I think thats just the cheese acting as an optical illusion as glare.

fx

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:17:45 GMT

Erika, do you find much difference between ink-from-straight-the-squid and the ink bought in little plastic bags?

Erika

Sun, 1 Aug 2010 22:42:53 GMT

Thanks for the recipe and good pictures. I will try this next weekend. I come from Indonesia where we cooked squid in its own ink. I was so happy to find an intact squid with its ink bladder upon moving to bay area (most groceries do not carry intact squid). Cooked them Indonesian style this weekend and it was awesome, can"t wait to try this pasta next weekend.

Natasha

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:18:46 GMT

Hello! In your recipe, you used 2 packs of it, how many is it in grams or FL.OZ? And how many squids do I need to get that much of ink? (in case I couldn"t find the packaged version and need to collect it from real squid myself) I"m a Manadonese (PS: North Sulawesi has lots of delicious traditional foods! ^^) and my mom used to cook me squids in ink sauce when I was still in Indonesia, I miss it so much that I can"t wait to try this recipe as soon as i get the squid ink!! :DD

Eytan

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 10:31:43 GMT

made this tonight for my wife on valentines day. it was really incredible - thank you so much for sharing the recipe!

anthony furio

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:57:30 GMT

What sauce goes with black (tagatelli) pasta ? olive oil/red/ or white ?

Thanks

Anthony Furio

fx

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:33:33 GMT

What are the health benefits of squid ink, Dr Muccino?

Dr Muccino

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 13:27:42 GMT

It not only looks and tastes wonderfull,dont forget the many medicinal aspects of squid and octopus ink!

fx

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 20:41:45 GMT

Divine it is! Cheese is not commonly used on pasta with fish or seafood in Italy.

P

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 09:50:25 GMT

I"m from Italy and had this pasta for the first time in my life in Venice last year. I don"t think it had any cheese in it but it was the most amazing pasta dish I"ve ever had. Absolutely divine.

Matthew Kopka

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 23:44:53 GMT

One night two summers ago, I separated from the group of scholars and students I was touring Cuba with, and set out on a stroll across Havana. It was a beautiful Sunday evening, and if you have ever walked along the Malecon--the sea well at Havana"s edge--you may know it is one of the great life experiences. There were musicians and clowns, fishermen, couples necking, children children, music blaring from radios. . . I walked its several miles, going and coming, in an exalted state, working myself into a serious hunger.

The only eatery I could find outside my hotel was a nondesript little signless place that served pizzas and pasta; I ordered the latter with squid ink. From what I recall it was little more than the inky-rich noodles, olive oil, and a little parsley, to which I added the grated parmesan they set down beside my bowl. Oh my god was it delicious.

Just found some squid ink in our coop here in Tallahassee, and am headed back out for some pepperflakes and cheese!

aaron

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:51:08 GMT

don"t know where to get it in hong kong though

Rosa

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:49:56 GMT

You can buy the squid ink at La Tienda for less than $5.00.

sihfiah

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:05:52 GMT

Looks beautiful...
I will try it once I buy the ingredients! I"ve only ever cooked squid ink pasta in its dry form, never actually cooked it with actual squid ink sauce and it sounds terribly exciting!
The recipe I use for my squid ink pasta is the one Babbo"s restaurant in NYC makes (black spaghetti with rock shrimp and jalapeno pesto).. It"s my favorite restaurant, don"t know if you"ve ever tried it.. but if you ever chance upon going, get the beef cheek ravioli with truffles and goose liver sauce.. it is phenomenal and for a relatively good price for the quality: 25.
I am thinking about becoming a chef.. but I am not sure if I"d like rigorous cooking everyday, because I just do it for fun, once every. say 3 days. Anyways, I really like your recipes, they sound are so warm and helpful, I hope the 2 articles a week does not weigh too much on your schedule as I"d like to keep reading more!
Take care!

AiR

Sat, 23 May 2009 05:44:38 GMT

hi been looking for this recipe to try..as i tried this dish sometime back in a restaurant..

i got the same ink sachet as yours that i bought long ago..
but just 1 qns

is it required to have tomatoe sauce as i personally don"t really like tomatoe sauce flavoured pasta.

but i will try your recipe first.thanx for the great recipe.

fx

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:06:35 GMT

Thanks Farrah, isnt"it a great dish!

Farrah

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 08:54:44 GMT

Grazie millie! I made a platter of Spaghetti nero di sepia for lunch today, using your recipe. Mamma mia! Love it! Thanks for the step by step guidance - the best I"ve found on the "net.

Ciaooooooooooooooo!

Warm Regards,
Farrah Vianello

fx

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:53:20 GMT

Nan I think you will love the squid ink sauce, but please remember that the "squid ink pasta" you can buy in shops is just black pasta with not much of a special squid taste. It is the ink in the sauce that makes the dish!

nan

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:35:32 GMT

I love the books and I"ve had the pasta in Italy. Found some terrific squid ink pasta, but will try this approach to make my own soon.

Nothing like it. I had my first version of squid ink pasta at the Everest Room in Chicago, late eighties--a really memorable dish. THANKS

fx

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:12:50 GMT

My God, Kevin you are a dedicated home chef! I never tried getting the ink out of the squid myself as those we get here are fished with nets, and the weight of the fishes squeezes the ink out of the squids. Glad this worked for you!

Kevin Torres

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:03:13 GMT

Tried this little dish tonight, and my family was absolutely blown away! No squid ink packets available from where i come from (the Philippines), so instead i painstakingly collected the ink from about 1.5 kilograms of medium sized squid, then added a small amount of lemon juice to take away a bit of the smell. surprisingly, a couple o" teaspoons were enough to turn the sauce pitch black. i"ll definitely be making this again in the near future. kudos!