With the celebration of my daughter’s 3 month birthday, I thought that I would post my first actual recipe after a long and exhaustive pause. Despite the fact that I often don’t end up with enough gumption at the end of the day to prepare something new and interesting, I have had a few moments to explore in the kitchen. With spring’s arrival and the start of her departure, there has been a lot to work with.

We were in Naples last week showing our new baby girl off to the family. My husband’s uncle, who is an excellent cook, had us over for dinner one evening with his family and prepared a wonderful meal of troccoli with lupini, roasted cuttlefish with raw zucchini and grilled ricciola steaks. It was a last minute invite and they really threw down.

I was instantly drawn to the cuttlefish dish, I wasn’t exactly sure what it was at first glance, but it looked delicious. I loved the smokiness of the cuttlefish with the simple fresh flavor of the raw zucchini, tossed together with the sweetness of balsamic vinegar.

Seppie arrostite con le zucchine crude

• 1 chilo cuttlefish, cleaned
• 3 medium zucchini, fresh and firm
• 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Pre-heat a cast iron griddle until drips of water sizzle and evaporate immediately upon contact. Place the cuttlefish, whole, on the griddle and sear on each side for about 4 minutes. Flatten them with a spatula, but don’t move them around, you want that delicious caramelization from the sear. When they are beautifully golden and cooked through remove them to a plate and let them cool.

When the cuttlefish has cooled, slice them into thin strips, lengthwise and cut the tentacles into pairs of two. Slice your zucchini lengthwise creating linguini-like strips. Toss them together on a platter with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and the chopped parsley. Serve at room temperature as an antipasto or as a main course.

One Year Ago: Spaghettini with Asparagus, Orecchiette con le Cime di Rape, Fresh Shelled Pea Pate & Roasted Asparagus and Scallion Quiche

Two Years Ago: Spaghetti con la Bottarga & Farfalle with Fresh Shelled Peas and Pancetta

Three Years Ago: Farfalle with Roasted Fennel and Swordfish, Risi e Bisi, Vitello Tonné & Mushroom Quiche

Four Years Ago: Green Tomato Summer Pasta, Stuffed Zucchini, Melanzane in Insalata alla Calabrese, Spinach and Ricotta Quiche with Roasted Tomatoes and Onion Blossoms & Tagliatelle with Yellow Zucchini and Olive Tapenade

Five Years Ago: Black-Eyed Peas With Collard Greens, Linguine with Artichokes and Scallops, Pollo all’Arancia, Mt. Pleasant Farmers Market & Risotto with Artichokes, Saffron and Baby Shrimp

Six Years Ago: Fish Tacos, Pizza di Collards, Roasted Asparagus with Fried Eggs, Okra Masala Stew over Couscous, Refrigerator Noodle Creation, Grilled Sausages, Rigatoni with Sausages and Broccoli Rabe, Ligurian Stuffed Zucchini, Ziti with Asparagus and Flounder, Frittata di Patate, Butternut Squash Soup, Risotto with Sausage, Baby Bellas and Saffron, Fish Stew with Quinoa, Grilled Vermillion Snapper and Grilled Veggies & Farfalle with Grilled Zucchini and Sausage

~ by italicious on May 22, 2015.

Posted in antipasti, Campania, cuttlefish, gluten free, parsley, secondi, summer squash, zucchini
Tags: balsamic vinegar, cuttlefish, insalata di mare, seafood, seafood salad, seppie, zucchini