Sepia en Amarillo

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy casserole with lid, about 28cm
• •Large mortar and pestle
• •Small saucepan for warming stock
• •Slotted spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the cuttlefish

   Check that the hard beak, transparent quill, innards, and ink sac have been removed. Pat the cuttlefish very dry and cut the body and tentacles into sturdy 3cm pieces. Thin scraps tighten before the larger pieces become tender, so keep the cut even. Warm the fish stock in a separate saucepan and hold it below a simmer.

2. 2

   Make the majado

   Heat the olive oil in a wide casserole over medium heat. Fry the bread for 60 to 90 seconds on each side, until crisp and deep gold, then lift it into a mortar. Fry the almonds for about 2 minutes, stirring until pale gold, and add them to the mortar. Fry the whole garlic cloves for another 1 to 2 minutes, just until golden without any dark edges, and lift them out. Pound the saffron with 2g of the salt, then work in the garlic, almonds, fried bread, and 8g of the parsley. Pound until you have a smooth, thick paste with no coarse almond pieces. Stir in 100ml of the warm stock and leave it to soften for 5 minutes.

   The majado decides the sauce. Pésalo, no lo adivines, and pound it properly. Coarse almonds leave a gritty stew; a fine paste gives the sauce its quiet thickness.
3. 3

   Cook the onion

   Return the casserole and its remaining oil to medium-low heat. Add the onion with 2g of the salt and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft, reduced, and deep gold. Don't hurry it. This slow sofrito, the cooked onion base, supplies the sweetness that balances the saffron and the sea.

4. 4

   Braise the sepia

   Raise the heat to medium-high and add the cuttlefish. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, turning it through the onion, until it releases its liquid and most of that liquid cooks away. Pour in the wine and bubble for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom clean. Add the bay leaf, 400ml of the warm stock, and 3g of the salt. Bring it just to a simmer, cover loosely, lower the heat, and cook for 18 minutes. The liquid should tremble gently, not boil hard.

5. 5

   Add the potatoes

   Peel the potatoes and crack them into 4cm pieces by cutting partway in and snapping each piece away from the knife. The rough broken edges release enough starch to help the sauce. Add them to the casserole with the remaining 100ml stock. The liquid should come about three-quarters of the way up the contents. Cover loosely and simmer for 12 minutes, shaking the casserole once or twice rather than stirring hard.

6. 6

   Thicken with majado

   Stir the loosened majado into the casserole, working gently so the potatoes stay whole. Simmer uncovered over low heat for 8 to 12 minutes, shaking the pot often, until a knife enters the potatoes easily, the thickest cuttlefish piece yields without springing back, and the golden sauce coats a spoon. Add the final 1g salt only if needed. Remove the bay leaf, rest the stew for 10 minutes, and finish with the reserved parsley.

   If the sauce tightens before the cuttlefish is tender, add warm water 30ml at a time. If it is loose, simmer it uncovered for another 3 to 5 minutes. Don't raise the heat sharply; the bread will catch on the bottom.

Chef Tips

• •Buy 1kg cleaned cuttlefish by weight. If buying it whole, allow about 1.4kg before cleaning. Frozen cuttlefish is good here: thaw it for 24 hours in the refrigerator, drain it well, and pat it dry so it sautés instead of flooding the onion base.
• •Large squid is the useful substitute when cuttlefish is unavailable. Cut thick tubes into 4cm pieces and keep the tentacles whole. Begin checking it about ten minutes earlier; the finished pieces will be less meaty and the sauce a little lighter.
• •Use real saffron when you can. If it is beyond reach, 1/8 teaspoon yellow food colorant is the household compromise found in many Andalusian cupboards. It supplies colour but none of saffron's dry, hay-like aroma, and that loss is plain.
• •Keep the stock light. A dark or strongly reduced fish stock bullies the saffron and almonds. Water is better than an aggressive stock, though the sauce will taste a little less of the sea.
• •Serve the same manzanilla or fino used in the pot, well chilled. Its dry, saline edge suits the cuttlefish and cuts through the bread-and-almond sauce without making the meal heavy.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and keep them for up to two days. Reheat over low heat with 30 to 60ml water, shaking the casserole gently; the potatoes continue drinking the sauce while they stand.

Advance Preparation

• •The majado can be made up to 24 hours ahead. Cover it closely and refrigerate, then bring it to room temperature and loosen it with the measured warm stock before adding it.
• •Clean and cut the cuttlefish up to one day ahead and keep it covered in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Pat it dry again before cooking.
• •The completed stew can rest for several hours and reheats well, though the potatoes become softer. Reheat it gently for 10 to 15 minutes with a small splash of water and add the parsley only when serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 550g)