Black Sapphire.

 If you have never done so before, why not make the best of the winter cuttlefish season.......

 it's time to try a traditional Italian recipe, Seppie al Nero.........

 or cuttlefish stewed in its own ink.......

one cracking cuttle courtesy of Mike Corin's beam trawler Sapphire........

 first job is to carefully split the underside of the cuttle to reveal the ink sac (which has to be removed and put to one side) and take out the rest of the insides........

 the familiar cuttle 'backbone' is provides traditional entertainment for the pet budgie........

split the cuttle body and slice across 1cm wide strips.........

 fry off some finely chopped shallot or onion in olly oil.......

 after a few minutes add the sliced cuttle to the pan, cover and cook for 20 minutes on a low heat........

 after the 20 minutes are up, season with salt and ground black pepper and add the ink (with the benefit of hindsight - it is not necessary to add all the ink but enough to give the dish its famous nero colour - a little goes a long way!).........

 time to cook the pasta, 80g of linguine or the pasta of your choice per person.......

 and the final dish always gets a comment!