The Easy Way to Cook Calamares en su Tinta: A Delicious Recipe in 7 Steps
Calamares en su tinta, or squid in its ink, is a traditional Spanish dish that features tender squid cooked in a rich, flavorful ink sauce. Here's a simple recipe for you to try:
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs Small squid, cleaned and sliced into rings 1 Kg
- 1 Large onion, finely chopped
- 4 Cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 cup Tomato puree
- ½ cup White wine
- Ink sacs from the squid (cleaned)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 tsp Sweet paprika
- ½ tsp Sugar (optional, to balance acidity)
- Chopped parsley for garnish
- Cooked white rice or crusty bread for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the Squid:Clean the squid thoroughly, removing the head, ink sac, and cartilage.Slice the squid bodies into rings and leave the tentacles whole.
- Extract the Ink:Save the ink sacs from the squid. Gently squeeze the ink sacs into a small bowl, collecting the ink. Be careful not to burst the sacs.
- Sauté Aromatics:In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.Add the chopped onion and cook until softened.Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Cook the Squid:Add the squid rings and tentacles to the pan, and sauté for about 5 minutes until they start to brown slightly.
- Add Liquid and Seasonings:Pour in the white wine and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes to cook off the alcohol.Stir in the tomato puree, bay leaf, sweet paprika, salt, and pepper.Add the ink collected from the squid sacs. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a bit of water or fish stock.Optional: Add sugar if the sauce is too acidic.
- Simmer:Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and let it simmer for about 30-40 minutes. The squid should become tender, and the flavors will meld together.
- Serve:Once the squid is cooked, remove the bay leaf.Serve the calamares en su tinta over cooked white rice or with crusty bread.Garnish with chopped parsley.