Braised cuttlefsh with a warm salad, purple sprouting and ink vinaigrette - Chef, Nathan Outlaw.

Warm Salad of Braised Cuttlefish and Purple Sprouting, Ink Vinaigrette

Recipe courtesy of Cornish seafood chef Nathan Outlaw - currently at the St Enodoc Hotel in Roc and recently awarded two Mchelin Stars to boot.

For the Cuttlefish
1kg cuttlefish cleaned, prepared and left whole, saving the ink
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
6 ripe tomatoes cut into quarters
600ml fish stock
100ml dry white wine


Sweat off the vegetables for 5 minutes in a pan. Add the wine and reduce to nothing and then add the fish stock. Bring the stock to the simmer and add the cuttlefish. Simmer for 1 ½ hours or until tender. When the cuttlefish is ready remove from the stock and allow cooling. Strain off the stock for the vinaigrette and cool. When the cuttlefish is cold slice into 2cm strips and reserve until serving


For the purple sprouting
28 nice pieces of purple sprouting


Bring a large pan of salted water to the simmer and blanch the sprouting for 2 minutes. Refresh in ice water and drain off. If you’re doing in advance place in the fridge. If you’re serving straight away don’t refresh just serve immediately.


Ink vinaigrette
2 finely chopped shallots
75ml red wine vinegar
75ml cuttlefish stock
150ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp cuttlefish ink


Add the shallots, vinegar and stock together and leave to stand for 30 minutes. Then add the ink and whisk in the oil. Season with salt and serve immediately.


Garnish
20g fine capers
4 sprigs of tarragon, picked
Squeeze of lemon


To serve
Warm the cuttlefish up in a bit of the vinaigrette, not to hot. Place the sprouting, capers and tarragon into a large bowl and then gently mix with the warm cuttlefish. Add a squeeze of lemon and season with sea salt and black pepper. Serve in bowl plate with a jug of vinaigrette on the side.

Put together the simple set of ingredients (plumped for tinned rather than fresh toms)........

one cuttle simmering slowly in the sauce........

sliced and ready to serve turned gently in with the purple sprouting (plus a few heads of broccoli)........

the starter was a failure - don't be tempted to pick mussels from Porthmeor Beach in St Ives, they are full of grit - the beach is way too sandy methinks!