Cuttlefish Stifado
Traditional Greek Cuttlefish and Onion Stew
The truth is, I struggled to decide which category this dreamy dish belongs to. Seafood would be the obvious choice, yet anyone who has tasted it knows it feels almost like… a dessert. A dish full of contrasts. Lenten yet perfect for a Sunday table, rustic yet elegant, from the sea yet deeply earthy. The cuttlefish slowly turns meltingly tender in its rich sauce, while the baby onions become sweet almost like caramel. Together, they create a dish that is deeply aromatic, comforting and full of warmth. This dish is a small poem of Greek cuisine!
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English subtitles are available.
🛒Ingredients
• 🦑 1 kg cuttlefish
• 🧅 1 kg onions or pearl onions
• 🫒 1/2 cup olive oil
• 🍅 1 can tomato sauce
• 🍷 1 cup red wine
• 🍃 3 bay leaves
• 🌿 15 peppercorns
• 🌰 10 allspice berries
• 🌾 1/2 tsp cumin
• 🧂 Salt and pepper
👩🍳Preparation
Clean and wash the cuttlefish.
🔹 If the cuttlefish still contain their ink sacs, place them in the freezer until the ink hardens, then remove it easily. It is the safest way to avoid quite a mess!
Remove the innards and the internal bone from the body and cut it into pieces.
Between the tentacles there is a small beak which you also remove.
Discard the eyes and cut the tentacles into smaller pieces.
Peel the onions and slice them. If using pearl onions, soak them in lukewarm water first so they peel more easily.
Heat the olive oil and sauté the cuttlefish for a few minutes.
Add the onions and continue sautéing until softened and glossy. Then add the bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice and cumin. Pour in the wine and let it boil for 5 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Pour in enough water to cover the ingredients and simmer until the cuttlefish and onions become tender and the sauce thickens.
🔹 For the pressure cooker, add only 1/2 cup water because the onions release plenty of liquid. Cooking time is about 10–15 minutes.
🔹 If the cuttlefish and onions are tender but there is still too much liquid in the pot, transfer the sauce to a small saucepan and boil it over high heat until reduced. Then return it to the dish to prevent the onions from overcooking and falling apart.
🔹 This dish tastes even better once cooled and becomes truly exceptional the next day. You can also replace the cuttlefish with octopus or squid.
Enjoy!
Nanà…💋
