Go Back
Sliced baked stuffed cuttlefish in tomato sauce on a white plate with parsley and a lemon wedge

Seppie Ripiene: Baked Stuffed Cuttlefish in Tomato Sauce

Cuttlefish bodies stuffed with chopped tentacles, breadcrumbs, Parmigiano and lemon zest, then baked in white wine tomato sauce until fork-tender.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Secondo
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 269
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the cuttlefish and stuffing
  • 4 medium cuttlefish (about 300 g each, 1.2 kg whole); cleaned, tentacles reserved, fins and skin left on
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil for the tentacles
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 70 g dry breadcrumbs plain, fine
  • 30 g Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated
  • 1 egg large
  • 4 tbsp flat-leaf parsley chopped, divided (3 tbsp for stuffing, 1 tbsp to finish)
  • 1 tbsp capers rinsed, chopped
  • 1 lemon zested, then cut into wedges
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 8 wooden toothpicks soaked briefly in water
For the sauce
  • 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion (about 100 g); finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic thinly sliced
  • 120 ml dry white wine
  • 400 g crushed tomatoes can
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt adjust at the end
  • 1/4 tsp chili flakes optional

Method
 

  1. If the cuttlefish aren't cleaned, pull the head and tentacles away from each body, then remove the hard cuttlebone and the innards. Cut the tentacles off just below the eyes and press out the hard beak at the center. Rinse everything and pat dry, keeping the fins and skin on the bodies.
  2. Heat the oven to 180 C / 350 F (160 C fan). Finely chop the tentacles. Warm 1 tbsp oil in a 28 cm / 11-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat and cook the tentacles with the 2 minced garlic cloves for 3 minutes, until opaque and fragrant. Scrape into a mixing bowl and wipe the skillet clean.
  3. Add the breadcrumbs, Parmigiano, egg, 3 tbsp parsley, capers, lemon zest, 1/4 tsp salt and the pepper to the tentacles. Mix until the filling holds when pressed in your palm. Spoon it into the bodies until each is only two-thirds full, without packing it down, and close each opening with a toothpick.
  4. Return the skillet to medium heat with 3 tbsp oil. Cook the onion and sliced garlic for 5 minutes, until soft and pale gold. Pour in the wine and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes, 1/4 tsp salt and chili flakes. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the sauce loses its raw edge.
  5. Nestle the stuffed cuttlefish into the sauce in a single layer and spoon some sauce over the tops. Cover tightly with the lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for 15 minutes more, until a paring knife slides into the thickest part of a body with no resistance and the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
  6. Rest the cuttlefish in the skillet for 5 minutes. Pull out the toothpicks, slice each body into rounds about 2 cm thick and spoon the sauce over. Scatter with the remaining 1 tbsp parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Notes

  • Leave the fins and skin on the bodies for color and a firmer bite.
  • Keep the stuffing moist but not wet, so it holds when pressed in your hand.
  • Taste the sauce before baking and go easy on salt, since the capers and cheese add their own.
  • Rest the cuttlefish 5 minutes before slicing so the filling sets into neat rounds.