Cuttlefish and Red Pepper Pinchos

Barbequed Cuttlefish Tapas

Cuttlefish or 'sepia' as its known in Spain is available from our local fishmonger every Tuesday and Friday, you buy the rings but we think the full cuttlefish is far better as you get the whole head - tentacles the lot which, when cooked look great in any dish.

Last weekend saw us come home with four big cuttlefish so it was time to light the barbeque and get cooking some tapas. The big late lunch was a Fideua, a paella with pasta instead of rice of which cuttlefish was going to be an ingredient but given the size of the monsters we had bought there was quite a bit left over so out came the kebab skewers and a red pepper.

Cuttlefish doesn't take very long to cook, perhaps a little more than squid but over hot brasa it takes no time at all, keeping things simple the cuttlefish was paired with red pepper and was seasoned before getting a grilling. The whole process from prep to plate - less than 10 minutes.

To add additional flavour to the kebabs a few splashes of 50 year old sherry vinegar were added and we have to say it did work very well indeed and an easy way to create some typically Spanish tapas before a main meal. a sherry vinegar balsamic glaze was also used to perk up the squid, both add a pleasant sharpness and compliment the good old molluscs very well indeed.