Sicily · No.20 / 103
Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia, 4 ways
A pasta dyed black with squid ink, born of a fisherman's habit of using every part of the squid. The key divides are whether the ink is taken directly from the squid or bought as a commercial paste, and how far the tomato is pushed before it overwhelms the flavor of the ink.
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Breaks down five kinds of squid for their ink, tomato stays strictly a supporting player
References: [1]
Anchovy paste cooked down hard for depth, noodles kept firm to grip the sauce
References: [1]
A generous finish of spearmint for a refreshing, cool-edged plate
No squid meat at all — uruii's seasonal note and a light hand with tomato protect the ink's flavor
References: [1]
Figures are transcribed as written in each video or recipe page
| AXIS | Yoshimi Hidaka | Ryuji | Fabio | Tomomi Ogura |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noodles, quantity, cooking | 160g spaghettini (serves 2) | 200g of 1.4mm pasta (serves 2), pulled 1 minute short of package time for al dente | 70g spaghettini (serves 1) | 65-70g pasta |
| Salt in the pasta water | Not specified | 1% of the water | 1.5% to 2L of water | 1.5% concentration |
| Preparing the squid, which parts are used | Cuttlefish, spear squid, golden cuttlefish, Japanese flying squid, and shiroika, broken down individually; viscera and ink both used | A separate 140g of squid, finely cut for the pasta. A little viscera reserved for extra depth (optional) | 45g Japanese flying squid (rings and tentacles, lightly salted) | None used — the dish is built on squid-ink paste alone, with no squid meat |
| Sourcing the squid ink | Ink extracted directly from all five squid varieties (the video's own description frames it as a taste comparison between two — spear squid and cuttlefish) | 2 tsp squid-ink paste loosened with 1 to 1.5 tbsp wine | 2 packets of squid ink sacs (squid-ink paste also acceptable) | 5g squid-ink paste |
| Aromatic base (garlic, onion, etc.) | Garlic and onion sautéed in olive oil | 20g garlic and 2 tsp anchovy paste cooked down hard, then 60g onion | Garlic, chili, and 15g shallot cooked slowly over low heat | 1 clove garlic and 1 piece anchovy heated in olive oil with chili oil |
| How the tomato is used | 100g strained canned tomato | Half a can of tomato (200g) reduced with 2 bay leaves | 40g tomato puree | 50g tomato sauce (kept light so it doesn't get in the way of the squid ink's flavor) |
| How the white wine is used | 50cc white wine to deglaze | 1 to 1.5 tbsp used to loosen the squid ink | A little white wine, reduced over high heat | Not used |
| Loosening/thickening the sauce | Not specified (no mention of adding pasta water or plain water) | A splash of pasta water added and tossed in | If the sauce splits, mineral water is added to loosen it and bring back the sheen | Whisked to bring it together |
| Finish | Finishing olive oil and Italian parsley | Extra black pepper plus 1.5 tbsp finishing olive oil | A generous half-pack of spearmint stirred through | 1 stalk of uruii sliced diagonally into thin strips added in, finished with a drizzle of olive oil |
| Time required | Not stated in the video (the process runs about 14 minutes) | Not stated in the video (part of a two-dish build alongside fried calamari) | Not stated (the process runs about 9 minutes 40 seconds) | 15 minutes (as stated for the video) |
| Source check | Partly unverified | Partly unverified | Partly unverified | Partly unverified |
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Pasta & boiling Brand, thickness, salt, water volume, cooking time 
Sauce & emulsion Where you toss, heat level, how much pasta water 
Finish Cheese, pepper, finishing oil, plating For Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia, the fork in the road is how you emulsify and heat
The pan stays on the flame and your hands manage the temperature. Fast, but it takes feel.
Bain-marie, steam, double boiler or a hand blender. Repeatable, at the cost of one extra step.
Emulsify after killing the flame, or in a bowl with only the pasta’s residual heat. Hard to get wrong.
In an Italian meal the primo (pasta) is followed by a secondo (main course)
Baccalà alla vicentina
Dried Norwegian cod (stoccafisso) is soaked for days to rehydrate, then simmered for hours over low heat with onion, salted sardines, olive oil, milk, and Parmigiano until it turns creamy. Despite the name "baccalà", the fish used is actually stoccafisso (air-dried, not salt-cured), and the key technique is "pipare" — cooking it without stirring, only shaking the pot.
Pairs with: Bigoli in salsa / Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia / Pasta al Limone
Another Veneto seafood pasta. The squid-ink sauce is light and brothy, so it doesn't tip the balance even before the dense, milk-and-oil-enriched baccalà that follows.
Purchase suggestions for preparing this dish, including tools and ingredients.
