I've always thought of squid and octopus as coming from the med, but found that UK Cuttlefish are in season from May to July. My chef was less than impressed at being asked to clean six large cuttlefish, so I had to roll up my sleeves and get stuck in myself.
In brief;
1.insert hand inisde main body cavity, get fingers around as much if internal organs as possible and pull the head and organs away from body as cleanly as possible.
2. Marvel at the eggs, sperm, ink and undigested food that comes away with it.
3. Assure self that it is worth it and that this will be wonderful food
4. Look cuttlefish in its cold, dead, reproachful eye, vow never to swim in deep water like that Blue Peter presenter 'lest vengeful larger cousins go on the attack
5. try to isolate ink sack, which is small but contains much thicker, more viscous ink than a squid's; squeeze ink from sack into a bowl
6. scrape outer skin from main body
7. make an incision by the bone and squeeze bone out of body cavity, think of happy budgerigar
8. cut main tentacles from head section
9. you can even cut around the beak and head to extract more meat but I found this just too unpleasant
It works well seared on a very hight heat with garlic, chilli and herbs; but we slow braised it in tomato and herbs as a base to add to cuttlefish risotto. I was dubious, but it does have a remarkably tender and meaty texture when cooked this way.
Squeamishness aside, I have yet to prepare a creature for the table without progressing from queasiness to a profound appreciation for the beauty of the natural world. I remember being astonished at the glistening translucent feathers or bones that emerge when cleaning squid; likewise the deep satisfaction of gutting some of my own chicken for the oven, horribly early one Sunday. And getting to grips with the Da Vinci-esque muscular beauty of a sinewy fallow deer, late one night last winter.
Feeling hundry yet?
