Spanish cuisine is famous for paella pans of seafood or other unique dishes based on seafood, creating the beauty of this country’s cuisine, especially in coastal areas like Valencia or Basque. Today’s seafood dish I wanna show you is Chipirones En Su Tinta – a unique dish that is hard to find in any country over the world.
It isn’t exaggerated when I say Chipirones En Su Tinta is my must-order tapas whenever I have a chance to visit Barcelona with my family. Just like its name, the dish is made of ink, which can amplify the freshness of the originated ingredient – the fresh baby squids directly caught from the beach near those harbor cities.
Why it is Chipirones?
There are several versions of Chipirones En Su Tinta, each uses a different kind of main ingredient to make the dish. Instead of Baby Squids, some chefs and housemakers will use “calama” (squid), “pulpo” (octopus), “sepia” (cuttlefish),…
Of course, each version will be unique and tasty in its way and irreplaceable, and that also applies to “Chipirones” or baby squids. With the experience of a chef, I think these outstanding differences may help you decide which squids to use and which dish to cook (I will just list the commonly used ingredients here):
| Type | Spanish Name | Texture | Flavor |
| Baby squid | Chipirones | – Extremely soft, practically melting | – Mild sweetness – Oceanic aroma |
| Octopus | Pulpo | – Crispy and jellylike if cooked properly – Can be tough and chewy when undercooked | – Lightly sweet tatse – Lean and not fishy |
| Squid | Calamar | – Tubes are tough and crunchy when fried – Tentacles are slightly tender | – Sweet, light sea flavor – Delicate, not fishy |
| Cuttlefish | Jibia/Sepia | – Hard but soft flesh – Cuttable texture | – Sweet, almost nutty flavor – Mild and not fishy |
Now you must have understood the reason why Chipirones are chosen for Chipirones En Su Tinta to some extent. This is a fried and sauced tapas, so picking a kind of squid that is thin, tender, and able to carry the breath of the ocean is definitely a sensible choice.
A melting piece of squid covered with squid sauce together with a sip of beer, what is better than a tapas experience in Mediterranean cities?
Ingredients
- 24 baby squids
- 2 onions
- 1 green pepper
- 3 tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 glass of white wine
- 4 ink envelopes
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
This dish is recreated in my own house’s kitchen, so I am unable to find the fresh ingredients in the market of the local region. Therefore, I will use frozen squids bought from the supermarket and canned ink.
To help the dish reach the highest freshness and quality, afford raw ingredients if you can. This will not only bring the dish a specifically salty and fishy flavor of the sea but also form the most standard texture. However, if you are unable to prepare those ingredients, you still can give this dish a try since this will be one of the most unique dishes you have ever tried.
Chipirones en su Tinta Instruction
Like any other dish I have shared on Manzanilla, the first step is to prepare all of the ingredients and put them in separate containers. This will help the cooking process become smoother, avoiding interrupting the process, which is really annoying, or even worsens the dish (burnt or something).
The first ingredient is onions; peel and wash them carefully, then slice them to cook.
With the green peppers, cut them into halves and repeat with each half. Remove all of the seeds and pith inside the green peppers. This is my suggestion for this dish since it will help the texture become softer and the green peppers release as much juice as possible. Moreover, if you pay attention, the pepper seed’s specific taste is a little bitter and acrid, and of course, I don’t expect those unwanted flavors in my Chipirones en su Tinta.
After having removed the seeds and pith, the next step will be chopping into small pieces. I would like the chopped pieces to have the same size as the onion slices below.
Finally, the garlic. You will just have to peel and mince them. You should mince them as small as possible so that the garlic will rise the specific smell when frying, especially when frying and saucing. So we have finished the preparation with the vegetable and flavoring ingredients.
Almost forgot, we also have to prepare tomatoes. They will be used for the following steps so I didn’t remember. We won’t need to peel them since they will be grated or crushed to take the juice only. But don’t forget to give them a quick rinse with water to wash off the dirt on the cover. Unfortunately, my grater has just broken down and I still don’t have time to buy a new one, so today I will cut the tomatoes into 4 pieces to help crush them more easily.
The next step will be frying the nicely chopped vegetables. Pour olive oil into the pan and heat it over medium heat. When the olive oil is boiling and there are bubbles on the surface, add the mixture of green pepper, onion, and garlic to the pan, and season a pinch of salt and black pepper to strengthen the taste of the dish.
Evenly stir and when the garlic smells divine, the onion releases the sweet juice and turns gorgeous caramel, then you know that the vegetable mixture is perfectly cooked. Now, add white wine. The appearance of white wine will neutralize a beautiful sour taste. Simmer the mixture until the alcohol evaporates, it will take around 3-4 minutes after boiling over medium heat
When the alcohol smell in the mixture fades, add the prepared crushed tomatoes. Continue stirring the mixture evenly till the juice from crushed tomatoes decreases and the mixture becomes stiffer.
And now we will move to the main ingredient of the dish, Chipirones aka baby squids, here I will use frozen food like I have stated, sorry you guys. But if you have a chance to use fresh ones, remember to preliminarily prepare and be careful before processing; or you can ask for help from a fishmonger to preliminarily prepare before washing them at home and begin cooking. This is usual at any market selling seafood, and they are willing to help.
Anyway, back to our journey. When the baby squids are cleaned, put them in separate containers so we can use them in the following minutes.
Back to the vegetable pan, after the mixture boils again, the tomato sauce evaporates a little bit of water when simmering, and then it’s time to add the packed squid ink.
This is a special ingredient as it creates the fifth taste – the so-called umami. It’s a specific taste that no word can describe, it’s just called “umami taste”. Furthermore, the appearance of squid ink will bring the taste and the vibe of the sea to your dish.
A rare flavor right? Therefore, make sure that you won’t miss even the least fellas. Keep stirring evenly until the mixture turns black. Simmer for 2 minutes, then pour into the mixture the baby squids in the container, and season with a little bit of salt and black pepper to make the squids tastier. Close the pot and medium-heat simmer for 30 minutes.
30 minutes have gone, when the baby squids are cooked and the squids’ texture becomes crunchy, put them out on a separate plate. Keep simmering the sauce mixture until it becomes thicker.
When the mixture becomes stiffer, we will take out the remains of the mixture of vegetables and squid ink. You can choose either grinding them and using a strainer to filter out the juice or doing this process by having a cordless hand blender; however, you still have to use a strainer to take the specific smooth essence of Chipirones En Su Tinta.
Now we will just have to add the baby squids to the pot again with the smooth juice. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until the mixture boils again and the squids are heated, then our dish – Chipirones En Su Tinta is finished.
Serving the dish
The dish is served as a tapas, a light meal for dinner. It brings a unique taste that you may never experience before.
In my local, this dish is usually served with hot rice or slices of bread dipped into sauce. Especially with the hot rice, this is a perfect combination that you should try at least once; what is more scrumptious than a dish of hot rice eaten with a special soup carrying an oceanic, lightly sweet taste with those piping hot and crispy baby squids by simmering?
I hope you will have a fascinating experience with this dish and an efficient cooking process. ¡Nos vemos amigos!
More Tapas Recipes
Chipirones En Su Tinta Recipe
Equipment
- Pan
- Blender or Grater
- Strainer
- Knife
- Wooden spoon
- Plates
Ingredients
- 24 baby squids
- 2 onions
- 1 green pepper
- 3 tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 glass of white wine
- 4 ink envelopes
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Preparing all of the vegetable ingredients, putting them in separate containers
- Frying green pepper, garlic and onion over medium heat, seasoning with salt and black pepper
- Adding white wine, simmering for 3-4 minutes
- Adding chopped tomatoes, fry-stirring until the mixture becomes stiffer
- Adding squid ink, simmering for 2 minutes
- Preparing baby squids, adding to the mixture when it turns black and seasoning
- Medium-heat simmering for 30 minutes
- Putting cooked baby squids out, keep simmering the mixture
- Use a strainer to take the mixture’s essence
- Add the baby squids to the pot again, simmering for 3-4 minutes until boiling
Notes
- Seafood is diverse, so is your choice. Depend on your own taste, choose your favorite ingredient to create the most suitable dish for yourself
- The fresher the ingredients are, the tastier the dish is. It doesn’t matter if you use frozen or canned ones; however, pick the freshest ingredients if you have a chance, as it may amplify the deliciousness of the dish.
