Sepia a la Plancha con Allioli

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast-iron plancha, griddle, or heavy frying pan, at least 28cm wide
• •Heavy mortar and pestle, 16 to 20cm
• •Sharp chef's knife
• •Fish spatula or sturdy tongs
• •Paper towels or clean kitchen cloths

Instructions

1. 1

   Score and dry

   Check the cleaned cuttlefish and remove any hard beak left among the tentacles. Lay each body flat with the inner side facing up. Score it diagonally every 5mm, cutting only 2mm deep, then score in the opposite direction to make small diamonds. Cut the bodies into pieces about 6cm wide. Pat everything thoroughly dry, leave it uncovered for 10 minutes, then pat it dry once more. Cuttlefish carries plenty of water, and water on the surface makes it boil before it can brown.

   Don't salt it yet. Salt draws moisture to the surface, which is precisely where you don't want it when the cuttlefish meets the plancha.
2. 2

   Pound the garlic

   Put the garlic and 3g salt in a sturdy mortar. Pound and grind them against the sides for 2 to 3 minutes, until no pieces remain and the garlic is a smooth, sticky paste. This matters. Bits of garlic won't hold the oil evenly, and the sauce is more likely to split.

3. 3

   Build the allioli

   Move the pestle continuously in one direction and add the first 30ml oil drop by drop. Once the mixture looks thick and glossy, add the remaining oil in a very thin thread, never pouring faster than the garlic can take it. Keep grinding until the allioli is firm enough to hold the track of the pestle. This is all i oli, garlic and oil, with no egg hiding in it.

   If it splits, mash half a fresh garlic clove in a clean mortar, then work the broken sauce into it one teaspoon at a time. Nadie nace sabiendo. The sauce is recoverable.
4. 4

   Heat the plancha

   Set a large cast-iron griddle or heavy frying pan over high heat for 5 to 7 minutes. It must be hot enough for a piece of cuttlefish to sizzle fiercely the instant it lands. Brush the dry cuttlefish with 20ml olive oil rather than flooding the pan. Open a window or cook outdoors, because proper browning makes itself known.

5. 5

   Sear in batches

   Lay the body pieces scored-side down in a single uncrowded layer. Press them against the iron for the first 15 seconds, then leave them untouched for 75 to 90 seconds. Turn and cook for another 60 to 90 seconds, until opaque at the thickest point with dark brown marks and lightly charred edges. Cook the tentacles separately for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once. Keep the heat high between batches. If liquid gathers, the pan is crowded or not hot enough; pour it away, reheat the iron, and carry on.

   Short and fierce is the rule. Leave cuttlefish over moderate heat and it tightens before it colors. Either cook it quickly like this or stew it slowly; the muddled middle gives you rubber.
6. 6

   Season and serve

   Mix the parsley with the remaining 10ml olive oil. Move the cuttlefish to a warm serving plate, season immediately with the 8g salt, and spoon over the parsley oil. Serve at once with lemon wedges and the allioli beside it, not spread over the charred surface. Squeeze the lemon only at the table. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.

Chef Tips

• •Buy cuttlefish that smells clean and faintly of the sea, with firm, glossy flesh and no ammonia smell. Frozen cleaned cuttlefish is a sound choice because freezing softens its dense fibers slightly; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and dry it very well.
• •A heavy cast-iron surface holds enough heat to brown the second batch as well as the first. Thin pans cool the moment the cuttlefish lands, then the seafood releases water and simmers in it.
• •The old allioli has garlic, salt, and olive oil, nothing else. Garlic mayonnaise made with egg is quicker and milder, but it is a different sauce. Use a mild arbequina oil here, since a very bitter oil can overpower the cuttlefish.
• •Serve this with bread, a plain tomato salad in season, and a cold Catalan white made from xarel-lo or garnatxa blanca. The food is bold enough already; the wine needn't argue.
• •Cuttlefish is best straight from the griddle. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat them within 2 days, knowing they will be firmer when reheated. Keep the fresh allioli cold and discard any remainder after 24 hours.

Advance Preparation

• •Clean and score the cuttlefish up to 6 hours ahead. Keep it covered in the coldest part of the refrigerator, then dry it twice immediately before cooking.
• •Frozen cuttlefish can be thawed overnight in the refrigerator on a rack set over a tray, which lets released liquid drain away.
• •The allioli can be made up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated immediately in a covered container. Take it out 15 minutes before serving so the olive oil loses its chill, but don't leave raw garlic in oil at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 235g)