Paella with Squid Ink

Описание: Black paella is one of the most exotic of the many paellas made in the Valencian Community. The color is given by the squid or cuttlefish ink. The ink, apart from the color, gives it an unctuousness, which together with the visual sensation, makes this dish unique.

Black Rice or Black Paella
The possibilities for seafood rice dishes are immense—not infinite, but close. By combining different cephalopods, fish, crustaceans, or mollusks with vegetables in fish stocks or sofritos, you can create true marvels. These are nuances of flavor that you discover after so many years of cooking, and they still surprise you.

For this recipe, you can use cuttlefish or squid. If you don't have these cephalopods on hand, you can use diced monkfish tails. The irreplaceable ingredient is the ink, which gives the dish its color and its name. What a beautiful color, it's a dish I've always liked because of how unusual it is to see the color black in the paella at the center of the table. The ink makes the noodles silky and gives them a unique flavor.

Preparation:
First, we sauté the shrimp. Give them a couple of turns and then remove them from the pan. Add the finely chopped onion and, once it's golden, add the garlic and cuttlefish. Sauté this mixture over low heat until everything is well browned. Then, add the tomato, cooking it until it's almost dehydrated.

Now it's time to add the sweet paprika. Quickly follow with the broth to prevent the paprika from burning, as it will turn bitter. You can add the ink at this point, or after adding the broth.

Turn the heat up to maximum, and once it boils, add the rice. Let it cook for 8 minutes. Adjust the salt to taste, then reduce the heat to nearly the minimum and let it simmer for another 7 minutes. With two minutes left, add the prawns that you set aside earlier. Turn off the heat and let it rest. The rice should be a bit creamy, not dry.

I personally like to season all the ingredients from the beginning: salt the shrimp while they cook, then the onion and cuttlefish, and finally adjust the salt in the broth after it's been boiling for a few minutes. I never add salt to the broths initially, just to be safe.

Ingredients:
400 g cuttlefish or squid
2 sachets of squid ink
8 red shrimp
600 g of rice
2 small onions
1 bunch of green garlic (young garlic)
2 cloves of garlic
1 grated ripe tomato
1 tablespoon of paprika
Mild fish stock (Fumet)
80 g extra virgin olive oil
Salt

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