Squid with Fennel, Mushrooms, and Black Sausage is a dish that blends delicate seafood with bold, earthy flavors. The squid is tender yet flavorful, perfectly paired with the aniseed notes of fennel and the deep richness of black sausage. The addition of mushrooms adds an earthy dimension, balancing the flavors and textures beautifully. This dish is perfect for anyone seeking to try something different, with a combination of both lighter and hearty ingredients. Ideal for a cozy dinner during fall or winter, the dish is filling yet refreshing, offering a unique mix of Mediterranean and savory flavors.
Ingredients
Method
- Pull the head and tentacles away from each squid body, cut the tentacles off just below the eyes and squeeze out the hard beak.
- Pull out the clear quill and the insides, then peel the thin purple skin off the body and fins; keep the skins and trimmings.
- Rinse the squid and pat it very dry. If you bought cleaned squid, use a few of the tentacles for the stock instead of the skins.
- Cut the stalks and fronds off the fennel, keep the fronds for garnish and chop the stalks.
- Cut the bulb into thin wedges, keeping a little core on each so they hold together.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in the saucepan over medium heat and fry the squid skins and fennel stalks for 3–4 minutes.
- Add the fennel wedges, the water and a pinch of salt, half-cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the fennel is tender.
- Lift the fennel wedges out and keep them warm.
- Strain the liquid, discard the skins and stalks, and boil the liquid down to about 100 ml; season it with salt.
- Split the black trumpets lengthwise and rinse out any grit, then dry them well.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the shallots for 2 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for 5–6 minutes, until no liquid is left in the pan; season with salt.
- Cut the squid bodies open so they lie flat, score the inside in a criss-cross 5 mm apart without cutting through, and cut them into 4–5 cm pieces.
- Cut the black sausage into 1.5 cm cubes and warm them in the second frying pan over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes, turning, until hot through and crisp at the edges.
- Heat the wok over high heat until smoking, add 1 tbsp of the oil for the squid and sear half the squid and tentacles for 60–90 seconds, until curled and opaque.
- Season with salt, tip onto a plate and repeat with the rest of the oil and squid.
- Arrange the fennel on warm plates and spoon over the reduced stock.
- Add the mushrooms, squid and black sausage, then finish with the fennel fronds, a drizzle of olive oil and flaky salt.
- We clean the squids and we cut with the small incisions to make the cuisson very quick.
- We cook the trumpets with the shallots and is no more water on the pan.
- We get the squid skins to make a stoke, sautéing the fennel and let cook for 20 minutes together.
- we cut the sausage in a cubes and we warm.
- we cook the squid cut it in a wok very quickly.
- We dress the dish.
What we changed for home
- Amounts added for every ingredient The original lists the ingredients with no quantities at all.
- Squid-skin stock written out: skins and fennel stalks simmered in 300 ml of water while the fennel braises, then reduced The chef makes a stock from the skins and cooks the fennel in it but gives no liquid or method.
- Botifarra negra can be morcilla or black pudding Catalan blood sausage is rarely sold outside Spain; other cooked blood sausages warm and crisp the same way.
- Black trumpets can be dried (soaked) or replaced with chanterelles Fresh black trumpets are seasonal and rarely in shops.
- Squid seared in two batches for 60–90 seconds Squid turns rubbery after about 2 minutes. Small batches keep the pan hot so the squid sears instead of stewing.
The dish in the photograph was cooked by the restaurant for this story. Photo: Oleksandr Slyadnyev.
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