Tae Hwan Ryu’s Jeju Cuttlefish

Serves 1

For the cuttlefish, wild green, and pickled shallot filling

Ingredients

• 35g fresh cuttlefish
• 1 Japanese Angelica root
• 1 sprig wild Japanese parsley
• 1 shallot
• salt and white pepper
• dash of ume plum vinegar
• 30ml beet pickle juice

Method

1. Cut the mantle and tentacles of fresh cuttlefish into 2cm pieces and poach very lightly in salted water.
2. Cool immediately in ice water, then remove from the icebath and leave to dry.
3. Boil Japanese Angelica root for 1 to 2 minutes, cool immediately in ice water, and cut into 0.5cm pieces
4. Slice the fresh wild parsley stem into 3cm pieces, and wild parsley leaves into 7cm pieces
5. Slice half of the shallot into rings, and soak in beet pickle juice until pink.

For the laver topping

Ingredients 

• 5g fresh laver
• 30ml pickle juice

Method

1. Soak the fresh laver in pickle juice for one hour.
2. Remove the laver from the pickle juice and set aside to dry.

For the clarified squid ink dressing

Ingredients

• 200g Mirin
• 100g Japanese sake
• 1 tsp squid ink
• clarified butter (amount depending)

Method

1. Mix the sake and Mirin and place in a pot on the stove.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil, and allow it to remain boiling until it has reduced and the alcohol has evaporated.
3. Once approximately half of the original volume is left, add clarified butter at ratio of 1:1.
4. Remove from heat and add to blender. Blend in squid ink.
5. Once blended, serve immediately.

Plating

Seasoning 

• salt and white pepper
• dash of ume plum vinegar

Method

1. Mix cuttlefish and par-boiled Japanese Angelica stem and season with white pepper, salt, and a dash of ume plum vinegar.
2. Place ingredients into center of the dish and add wild parsley and pickled shallot. Cover all ingredients with pickled fresh laver.
3. Garnish with edible flowers, pour on the squid-ink dressing, and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Tae Hwan Ryu of Ryunique in Seoul.