C – ‘Cuttlefish’

Ingredients A–Z: A World of Flavour, One Ingredient at a Time

Part of the Ingredients A–Z series → C

🦑 Cuttlefish

🦑✨️ Ancient, inky, and deeply rooted in Mediterranean kitchen

Cuttlefish are fascinating cephalopods, closely related to squid and octopus, but generally larger and firmer in texture. Widely enjoyed throughout the Mediterranean, they have long been valued for their deep, savoury flavour and versatility in cooking. 🍽️ Available fresh, smoked, or dried, cuttlefish are commonly braised slowly. They are also grilled or cut into strips for stews and rice dishes. In these dishes, their slightly chewy texture softens beautifully with time.

🖋️ One of the cuttlefish’s most distinctive features is its ink. It is prized in cuisines that celebrate dramatic black dishes such as pasta, risotto, and sauces. Cuttlefish ink is easier to extract compared with squid ink because of the larger ink sac. It is often described as richer yet milder. Additionally, it is slightly sweeter in flavour. Historically, this same ink was even used as writing ink, giving rise to the term sepia.

🥢 In Chinese cooking, dried cuttlefish is valued for its concentrated umami. It is often added to soups, broths, and stir-fries to deepen flavour. From ancient manuscripts to modern plates, cuttlefish bridge history, culture, and cuisine with remarkable elegance.

Scientific name: Sepia officinalis️

A note from the kook’s kitchen

This is where I share the things that don’t always make it onto the site. I include quiet techniques, ingredient stories, and the small details. These details make cooking better over time.

Shared occasionally. Always useful.