Chef Isabel
Abanico Ibérico a la Plancha
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Calamares en su Salsa Gaditanos
Created by
Cádiz squid in its own rich sauce, where a dark, sweet sofrito and a patient simmer turn simple rings and tentacles tender enough to cut with bread.
Main Dishes
Spanish
Comfort Food
Weeknight
One Pot
20 min
Active Time
1 hr 15 min cook•1 hr 45 min total
Yield4 servings
Calamares en su salsa belong to Cádiz and Andalucía's Atlantic coast in this red, onion-rich form. Squid rings and tentacles cook in a sofrito, the slow onion and tomato base, with garlic, white wine, and their own briny juices. It isn't the ink-dark txipirón stew of the Basque Country, and it isn't a plate of quick-fried rings. This is a home cazuela with enough sauce to demand bread.
Low, patient heat decides the dish. First, cook the onion until dark gold, soft, and almost jammy. That sweetness holds up the tomato and wine without making the sauce sharp. Once the squid goes in, let it simmer gently beyond its first firm stage. Squid is tender when cooked very briefly or properly long; stop halfway and it chews back.
Fresh medium squid is lovely when the market has it. Far from the coast, good frozen squid is the honest substitute, and often better than fresh squid that has spent too long on a counter. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, drain it well, and weigh it after draining. Tubes alone will work, though the sauce loses some depth without the tentacles.
Give the pan its time and test the thickest tentacle rather than trusting the clock alone. It should yield easily to a fork, and a ring should cut without pulling. The note in my Margin is short: don't rescue firm squid by taking it off the heat. Cook it gently until it surrenders. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Along the ports of Cádiz, squid from the Atlantic catch entered home kitchens in two practical ways: fried quickly while small and fresh, or stretched into a cazuela with onion, wine, and its own juices to feed the table. Tomato joined the red version after arriving from the Americas, while the nearby wines of the Marco de Jerez gave these seafood stews their dry southern edge. The ink-dark squid dishes of the Basque coast belong to another regional branch of the same fishing larder.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
cleaned medium squid
Quantity
1kg
bodies cut into 1.5cm rings, tentacles separated
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
60ml
yellow onions
Quantity
400g
finely chopped
garlic
Quantity
12g
finely chopped
good canned crushed tomatoes, or peeled ripe tomatoes in season
Quantity
400g
crushed or grated
dry white wine
Quantity
150ml
sweet pimentón dulce
Quantity
3g
bay leaf
Quantity
1
fine sea salt
Quantity
8g
divided
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1g
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
10g
finely chopped
water (optional)
Quantity
up to 60ml
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| cleaned medium squidbodies cut into 1.5cm rings, tentacles separated | 1kg |
| extra virgin olive oil | 60ml |
| yellow onionsfinely chopped | 400g |
| garlicfinely chopped | 12g |
| good canned crushed tomatoes, or peeled ripe tomatoes in seasoncrushed or grated | 400g |
| dry white wine | 150ml |
| sweet pimentón dulce | 3g |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| fine sea saltdivided | 8g |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1g |
| flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped | 10g |
| water (optional) | up to 60ml |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide heavy casserole with lid, 26 to 28cm
- •Sharp cook's knife
- •Digital kitchen scale
- •Wooden spoon
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the squid
Check the cleaned squid for any remaining clear quill, beak, or tough membrane. Cut the bodies crosswise into even 1.5cm rings and leave small tentacles whole. Rinse only if needed, then dry everything thoroughly. Pésalo, no lo adivines: use 1kg after cleaning and draining so the sauce-to-squid balance stays right.
Frozen squid is entirely suitable. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, set it in a colander for 15 minutes, and pat it dry before weighing. - 2
Cook the sofrito
Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy casserole over medium-low heat. Add the onions and 5g of the salt. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the onion is dark gold, very soft, and jammy at the edges. Keep the heat patient. If the onion browns before it softens, lower the heat and add 15ml water. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, just until its raw smell is gone.
A wide casserole lets moisture escape and the onion sweeten. In a narrow pot it tends to boil in its own water and stays pale. - 3
Reduce the tomato
Take the casserole off the heat for a moment and stir in the pimentón for 10 seconds. Do not let it scorch. Return the pan to medium-low heat, add the tomato, bay leaf, and black pepper, then cook uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes. The sofrito is ready when it has darkened, a spoon drawn across the bottom leaves a clear trail, and a little red-gold oil shows around the edges.
- 4
Add the wine
Pour in the white wine and raise the heat to medium. Scrape the bottom of the casserole and let the wine bubble for 3 to 4 minutes, until its sharp raw smell has softened and the sauce looks thick again.
- 5
Simmer the squid
Add the squid and the remaining 3g salt. Turn everything through the sofrito, cover, and bring it just to a gentle bubble. The squid will release plenty of liquid. Lower the heat and simmer for 35 minutes, stirring two or three times. Keep the bubbling quiet; a hard boil tightens the squid and throws the oil out of the sauce.
If the sauce becomes dry enough to catch before the squid is tender, add water in 30ml measures. Do not pour in a glassful and turn a rich sauce into soup. - 6
Test for tenderness
Pierce the thickest tentacle with a fork and cut one ring with the side of a spoon. Both should yield without springing back. If they remain firm, cover and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. This is the point where nervous cooks stop too soon. The remedy for squid that has become firm is more gentle cooking, not less.
- 7
Rest and serve
Remove the bay leaf and taste the sauce. Adjust the salt only now, because squid varies in salinity. Stir in three-quarters of the parsley, take the casserole off the heat, and leave it covered for 10 minutes. Finish with the remaining parsley and serve from the casserole with plain white rice or sturdy bread for the sauce.
Chef Tips
- •Choose medium squid with clean white flesh, intact skin, and a fresh sea smell. Very large squid needs longer cooking, while tiny squid may be tender sooner, so test the thickest part rather than obeying the clock blindly.
- •Outside tomato season, use good canned tomato. A watery winter tomato gives the sauce acidity without sweetness; canned tomato gives a deeper, steadier result and is what a sensible home kitchen reaches for.
- •If you can buy manzanilla or fino from Andalucía, use it in place of the dry white wine in the same amount. It gives the sauce a drier, faintly nutty edge. Ordinary dry white wine makes a softer sauce, but the dish still comes out properly.
- •Squid has two tender windows: a very quick cook or a long gentle one. This stew uses the second. At 10 or 15 minutes it may seem done because it is opaque, but that is often when it is toughest.
- •Serve it with arroz blanco, plain white rice, or bread with a close crumb. The sauce is half the point, and leaving it in the bowl would be wasteful.
- •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and keep them covered for up to 2 days. Reheat slowly over low heat with 15 to 30ml water, just until fully hot.
Advance Preparation
- •Clean and cut the squid up to 1 day ahead. Keep it covered in the coldest part of the refrigerator and drain away any liquid before cooking.
- •The complete dish can be made 1 day ahead. Cool it promptly, refrigerate it covered, and reheat gently; the onion and tomato settle into an even richer sauce overnight.
- •Freeze the finished squid and sauce for up to 2 months in a tightly sealed container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm slowly, adding a spoonful of water if the sauce has tightened.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 400g)
Calories
435 calories
Total Fat
18 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
13 g
Cholesterol
585 mg
Sodium
1050 mg
Total Carbohydrates
26 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
9 g
Protein
42 g
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