British food and drinkWe give it to our budgies, but it's time we started eating it ourselves in the UK"Why are you dressed all in black?" my son asks, wondering if there has been a death in the family. I'm going to help a chef clean cuttlefish and the clothes are on account of the mollusc's messy reputation. Cuttlefish, in common with their squid and octopus relatives, have a sac of ink that they use to evade predators; the Norwegians call them blekksprut (ink squirt).
They are in plentiful supply in the English Channel, around 30 tonnes are landed on the south coast every day – some are bycatch and thrown away, others are sent to Europe, where they are prized as a delicacy. In Italy, the ink, valued for its rich seaweed flavour, is used in pasta and risotto. The Croatian crni rižot (black risotto) is virtually the same recipe, probably originating in Venice and spreading across both coasts of the Adriatic. In Spain, cuttlefish is popular breaded and deep-fried in Andalusia; and mar i muntanya (sea and mountain) is a classic Barcelona paella in which it's cooked in a pan with rabbit, snails and prawns.
Search for cuttlefish in the UK, however, and you are more likely to come across pet stores than fish suppliers; the white internal shells are sold to sharpen birds' beaks. Their flesh is harder to come by. "Cuttlefish is an underutilised species," says Sam Stone, fisheries officer for the Marine Conservation Society.
Which is a great shame. If you like squid, chances are you would like cuttlefish – they are slightly meatier and sweeter. But the good news is that they are popping up on menus. In these belt-tightening times, restaurants, ever on the lookout for local ingredients that offer value without skimping on quality, have begun serving cuttlefish alongside the likes of pig's trotters, wild rabbit and foraged fennel. From The Seahorse in Dartmouth, to River Cottage in Devon and Moshi Moshi in London, cuttlefish is slowly getting itself noticed.
Dev Biswal, chef at the Ambrette restaurants in Rye and Margate points out that "cuttlefish are a much cheaper alternative to squid and octopus", while having a similar texture. "When flavoured with other ingredients, it is hard to tell the difference." He serves them stir-fried and in kedgerees and, to raise awareness and increase their popularity, is giving cooking demonstrations at this weekend's Hastings seafood and wine festival.
Biswal is a big fan but, as he puts it diplomatically: "The main obstacle to cuttlefish gaining popularity is the handling." Wearing chef's whites (the ink comes out in the wash), he places it under running water in a large sink, as he deftly removes bones, skin, wings, tentacles and the all-important ink sac.
The mess is not so bad. I was expecting the Texas chainsaw massacre, but Biswal just looks as if he has had a leaky pen in the pocket of his whites. There are online guides to help the adventurous food lover who wants to try preparing it at home, but personally, I would leave it to the professionals.
You can buy it frozen, prepared and cleaned, online, and several suppliers sell the ink in hermetically sealed packets. For fresh, there are large markets such as Billingsgate, where sellers will do the messy bit for you. And, depending on where you live, your fishmonger may be able to source some from local fishermen. "Try to find those caught by trap as opposed to trawl, as this is more sustainable," cautions Stone.
"But cuttlefish are white." My son is still perplexed by my attire. He is referring to his collection of cuttlefish bones, brought home from the beach if they display the teeth marks of their predators. Sharks and dolphins know a tasty meal when they see it. We are just catching on.
This article was amended on 13 September 2012. The original mistranslated blekksprut as black squirt, rather than ink squirt, and has been corrected. Punctuation in the second paragraph has been added to clarify the provenance of regional dishes. In addition, the original photograph (of squid) has been replaced.
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