Cuttlefish with herb oil

Sepia con aceite de hierbas

Cuttlefish, which tastes very much like calamari, is eaten all over Spain. It’s best to ask your fishmonger to clean it for you, as it can be a little tricky to avoid breaking the ink sac. Reserve the sac for use in other recipes, like the black rice.

SERVES 2

1 handful flat-leaf parsley, washed and dried

100 ml (3½ fl oz) extra virgin olive oil

1 large cuttlefish, cleaned

olive oil, for shallow-frying

juice of 1 lemon

To make the herb oil, blend the parsley and extra virgin olive oil in a blender. Set aside.

To cook the cuttlefish, put it into a large saucepan and cover well with cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce to a soft boil and cook for 40 minutes. Pierce the fattest part of the cuttlefish with the tip of a sharp knife to test that it is soft, then drain and cut into bite-sized chunks.

Heat a large dash of the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped cuttlefish and cook for 2–3 minutes, tossing until slightly coloured and warmed through.

Put onto a serving plate, pour over the lemon juice and sprinkle over some sea salt flakes. Drizzle around some herb oil and serve.