Cuttlefish with green peas
Ingredients for 4 people
1 kg cuttlefish • 400 g peas • 1 onion • 2 tomatoes • 4 cloves of garlic • 2 parsley sprigs • 6 tbsp olive oil • 2 tbsp salt • 1 dl water
Preparation
1. Clean the cuttlefish, set the liver and the tentacles aside, and throw out the innards. Cut the body and the tentacles in pieces.
2. Cook the cuttlefish in a casserole for 30 minutes with no liquid so it expels all its water. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Peel and chop the onion, garlic and parsley leaves once they have been cleaned and dried with a cloth or kitchen roll.
4. In the same clay pot fry the onion, garlic and parsley. Pour some water in and add the peas, the cuttlefish and its crushed liver. Simmer for 1 hour. Salt and bring to the boil once just before serving.
This dish is very well known; you can easily find it as a tapa in the island’s bars. There is a more complete version with meatballs. The cuttlefish liver is the brown bag you find inside the cuttlefish and even though it is not always used, it is the liver which really gives the flavour to this dish.
Original cuttlefish with green peas recipe from the book Minorca. Cooking and gastronomy. Triangle Postals. Photography: Oriol Aleu
See all recipes of Menorcan cuisine
More recipes of menorcan cuisine
-
Traditional Menorcan cuisine is characterized by its peasant roots and its Mediterranean essence. Furthermore, it has assimilated very successfully the legacy of all the different cultures that have left their mark on the island over the centuries. Menorcan cuisine thrives on local products, derived from both land and sea: fruit and vegetables from its market gardens; capers, wild asparagus and snails gleaned wild from its woods and fields; locally hunted partridge, wood pigeon and woodcock; and skate, lobster and rockfish caught in the Mediterranean -
In Minorca you can find two types of lobster, the rock one, smaller and bright red, very tasty because of the food rich in essential elements they consume; and... -
Ray is very much appreciated on the island. We normally eat the fins, but the liver is also delicious. When you buy it, ask the fishmonger to cut and peel it... -
Although the name of the recipe mentions rice, the main ingredient of the dish is the cracked wheat in a stone mortar. An Arab heritage, typical of Menorca and is traditionally made day of pig slaughter. -
Some people prefer cutting the aubergines in halves, boiling them quickly, emptying them and filling them with the mixture of meat and chopped aubergine pulp. -
This recipe was made with “crancs peluts”, which nowadays is a protected species of crab. Some people prepare it with “cranca”, spider crab, crushing its guts as it gives a lot of taste to the dish
-
Minorca is known for her numerous fig trees and the abundance of local varieties (“figaflor”, “coll de dama”, “bordissot”, …). The first one to ripen, at the end of June is “figaflor” the most valued. -
One option is to prepare all the vegetables peeled and sliced, and the dish will be more complete. You can finish cooking in the oven, spread as usual. -
The pearl onions are the ones called French onions in Spain. To prevent their layers from falling apart, you must peel them carefully and leave the peduncle in which its roots are fixed. -
We recommend freezing the octopus and the cuttlefish so they are more tender and do not need to be beaten. Some recommend cooking it first in water with some bay leaves and leaving it to cool down in the same water. -
El moniato, o monyaco, és un producte molt consumit a l’illa, i es prepara tant en salat com en múltiples plats dolços, com ara bunyols i púdings. També és habitual preparar aquesta recepta al caliu. -
We recommend cutting the chicken in 8 pieces. If you prefer you can buy whole almonds and crush them yourself in the mortar or use a blender with the toasted bread and garlic. -
It is very important to strain the cooked pumpkin completely before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients. The oven tray or mould must be shallow. -
You can serve this dish with fried potatoes and a fresh tomato salad. You can either fry the potatoes in deep oil or in a mixture of oil and lard; fry them with cloves of garlic and bay leaves. -
“De re cibaria” says that the flour should be lightly toasted. To achieve this, toast it in a pan with no liquid, at medium heat and stirring all the time until it gets a light brown colour.
Leave a Reply