Cuttlefish and peas

Not yet rated

This cuttlefish recipe from Daniele Usai is simplicity at its best, using minimal ingredients to make the cuttlefish and peas the star of the show. The attention to detail extends to the black pepper used; in this case Sarawak black pepper from Malaysia, which is widely considered to be one of the world's best black peppers.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Cuttlefish

  • 500g of cuttlefish, fresh
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • black salt, from Hawaii
  • Sarawak black pepper
  • 10ml of muscat wine vinegar

Pea water

  • 300g of peas, fresh
  • salt
  • Sarawak black pepper

To plate

  • pea shoots
  • black salt, from Hawaii

Method

1
To clean the cuttlefish, remove the entrails and head and wash thoroughly under cold running water until clean and white
2
Cut the cuttlefish into thin strips and dress with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and vinegar. Warm in a bowl over a bain-marie until you reach a temperature of 45°C, stirring gently until the cuttlefish starts to turn opaque – this will prevent sliminess in the cuttlefish
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • black salt, from Hawaii
  • Sarawak black pepper
  • 10ml of muscat wine vinegar
3
Soak ¼ of the peas in iced water, then cook in salted water for 20 seconds. Refresh in iced water and set aside – these will be used for garnish
  • 75g of peas, fresh
4
Pass the rest of the raw peas through a juicer and season the resulting pea water with salt and pepper
  • 225g of peas, fresh
  • salt
  • Sarawak black pepper
5
Pour the pea water onto the plates and create some splashes by patting the water with the back of a spoon
6
Add a mound of cuttlefish to each plate, scatter over the blanched peas and dress with pea shoots. Season with black salt and serve
  • pea shoots
  • black salt, from Hawaii
First published in 2015

Daniele Usai has turned the sleepy seaside town of Ostia into a destination for gourmands worldwide thanks to his relaxed, simple approach to cooking local ingredients.

Get in touch

Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.

You may also like

Load more