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Cuba · Squid

Cuban Squid in Its Ink

Calamares en su Tinta

A dark, rich Cuban stew from the south coast: squid slow-cooked in a criollo sofrito with wine and its own black ink, spooned over white rice with sweet plantains alongside.

  • Prep 20 min
  • Cook 50 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Medium
Photo: Javier Lastras · CC BY 2.0
Served with: Sweet Fried Plantains ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the squid

For the sauce

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Make the sofrito. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and pepper 8 minutes until soft, then add the garlic for 1 minute.
  2. Add the squid. Season the squid with salt and pepper and stir it into the sofrito. Cook 3–4 minutes until it turns opaque and gives off its liquid.
  3. Build the sauce. Stir in the tomato sauce, wine, cumin and bay leaf. Dissolve the ink in the water and pour it in. The pot will turn jet black.
  4. Simmer. Cover and simmer gently 35–40 minutes, until the squid is tender and the sauce is glossy and thick. Add a splash of water if it gets too dry.
  5. Serve. Taste for salt, sprinkle with parsley and serve over white rice with maduros.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Spanish Caribbean

Sweet Fried Plantains

Maduros

Very ripe, black-skinned plantains fried until caramelized and soft as butter. From Havana to San Juan to Santo Domingo, they bring a sweet bite to the fish plate.

  • Prep 5 min
  • Cook 10 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 3 very ripe plantains (skins mostly black)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • Pinch of salt

How to make it

  1. Slice. Cut off the ends, slit the skin and peel. Slice on a long diagonal about ½ inch (1 cm) thick.
  2. Fry. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat to about 325 °F (165 °C). Fry the slices 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden with dark caramelized edges.
  3. Drain. Drain on paper, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and serve warm.

Photo: Bim24 · CC BY-SA 4.0

More ways to cook Squid

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Madrid, SpainSpanish Fried Calamari Rings
Lima, PeruPeruvian Crispy Squid
Algarve, PortugalPortuguese Stuffed Squid in Tomato Sauce