Sepia con Guisantes (Sèpia amb Pèsols)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide, heavy casserole with lid, 28 to 30cm
• •Mortar and pestle or small food processor
• •Sharp knife
• •Kitchen paper

Instructions

1. 1

   Dry the cuttlefish

   Pat the cuttlefish very dry with kitchen paper. Check that no hard beak or pieces of cuttlebone remain, then cut the body into even 3cm pieces and leave small tentacles whole. Even pieces matter because they must become tender at the same time.

   Thaw frozen cuttlefish overnight in the refrigerator, drain it well, and weigh 1kg after cleaning and draining. Excess water prevents the edges from taking any color.
2. 2

   Fry the picada base

   Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy casserole over medium heat. Fry the bread for 60 to 90 seconds per side until crisp and deep gold, then lift it out. Add the almonds and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring, until lightly toasted. Remove them before they darken.

3. 3

   Brown the cuttlefish

   Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the cuttlefish in two batches so the casserole is not crowded. Cook each batch for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring only now and then. It will release liquid first; let most of that liquid evaporate and wait for a few edges to turn faintly golden. Transfer each batch to a bowl, keeping every drop of juice.

4. 4

   Build the sofregit

   Lower the heat to medium-low and add the onion with 4g of the salt. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring often and scraping up the browned juices, until the onion is dark gold, soft, and nearly jammy. Add the chopped garlic clove and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, until it is brick-red, dense, and leaves a clean trail when the spoon crosses the casserole. This slow sofregit is where the sauce gets its sweetness; rush it and the whole pot tastes thin.

   If the onion catches before it softens, add one tablespoon of water and lower the heat. Water loosens the browned sugars without adding more oil.
5. 5

   Braise the cuttlefish

   Pour in the wine, raise the heat, and bubble for 2 to 3 minutes while scraping the bottom. Return the cuttlefish and its juices, then add the bay leaf and 350ml of stock or water. Bring it just to a simmer, lower the heat, and cover with the lid slightly ajar. Cook gently for 30 minutes before testing a thick piece with a small knife. Continue for up to 15 minutes more if it still resists. Add a little of the extra liquid only if the casserole threatens to dry out.

6. 6

   Pound the picada

   While the cuttlefish braises, put the fried bread, toasted almonds, the remaining 2 garlic cloves, parsley, and 1g of salt in a mortar. Pound to a coarse, damp paste. When the cuttlefish is nearly tender, loosen the paste with about 60ml of hot liquid from the casserole. A small processor works, but stop before it becomes almond butter.

7. 7

   Add peas and picada

   When the cuttlefish is tender, stir in fresh peas and simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes. Frozen peas need only 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the loosened picada for the final 5 minutes, moving it through the sauce gently so the peas stay whole. The finished sauce should be glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, not dry and not soupy.

   Taste a pea rather than trusting the clock. A young fresh pea should be tender but still sweet; an older one may need a few minutes more.
8. 8

   Rest and serve

   Remove the bay leaf. Taste the sauce and add the remaining salt gradually, stopping sooner if the stock was seasoned. Rest the casserole off the heat for 5 minutes so the picada settles into the cooking juices. Take it to the table in the casserole and serve with plain crusty bread for the sauce.

Chef Tips

• •Fresh cuttlefish should smell clean and faintly of the sea, with firm, glossy flesh. Frozen cleaned cuttlefish is a good buy and often easier to find far from Spain. Thaw it slowly and drain it well.
• •For 500g of shelled fresh peas, expect to buy roughly 1.2kg in their pods. Use them in spring when they are small and sweet. Outside their season, frozen peas are the sensible choice; add them straight from the freezer so they do not wrinkle before reaching the pot.
• •If cuttlefish is unavailable, use 900g of cleaned squid cut into thick pieces. Begin checking it after 25 minutes of gentle braising. The finished dish will have a lighter sea flavor and a softer bite.
• •Water is traditional and works because the cuttlefish supplies plenty of flavor. If using fish stock, keep it light and unsalted; a forceful stock buries the sweetness of the peas and sofregit.
• •Serve this with a dry Catalan white such as a young Garnatxa Blanca. Bread is not decoration here. The picada makes a sauce intended to be wiped from the plate.

Advance Preparation

• •Clean and cut the cuttlefish up to 24 hours ahead. Keep it covered in the coldest part of the refrigerator and pat it dry immediately before cooking.
• •The sofregit can be cooked up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Warm it gently in the casserole before adding the wine and continuing the recipe.
• •For the best make-ahead result, braise the cuttlefish in the sofregit one day ahead but stop before adding the peas and picada. Reheat gently, add a splash of water if needed, then finish with the peas and freshly pounded picada.
• •Leftovers keep for up to 2 days covered in the refrigerator. Reheat over low heat with one or two tablespoons of water; hard boiling toughens the seafood and bursts the peas.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 500g)