Squid ink risotto is a creamy rice dish made with squid ink and pieces of squid. This seafood recipe makes for an earthy, flavorful main course.

Squid Ink Risotto Recipe: How to Make Risotto Nero

Squid ink risotto, also known as risotto Nero, is a creamy Italian rice dish featuring squid ink and pieces of cooked squid. The squid ink colors the risotto black and adds an [umami flavor](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-umami-learn-about-umami-and-how-to-incorporate-umami-flavors-in-your-cooking) to the rice dish. You can garnish squid ink risotto with chopped parsley. [Risotto recipes](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/risotto-recipes) traditionally call for <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/what-is-arborio-rice-basic-arborio-rice-risotto-recipe' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/what-is-arborio-rice-basic-arborio-rice-risotto-recipe","linkCopy":"Arborio rice","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>Arborio rice</a>—a rounded, short-grain rice with a high starch content—though you can substitute carnaroli rice or other grains for an oat or barley risotto.

The key to risotto is the cooking method: Sauté the starch and then cook it on low heat as you add ladles of chicken stock. This allows the rice to release its starches gradually, yielding a perfectly al dente result in a creamy sauce. 
The term “squid” describes more than three hundred species of cephalopods. Squid are related to octopuses and cuttlefish; they are predatory invertebrates, lack external shells, and have ink sacs for defense. Varieties of squid vary greatly—the smallest is less than an inch long, while the largest, the giant squid, can reach up to forty feet in length. Gould’s squid, a species commonly used for commercial consumption, is typically less than two feet long. 

People consume numerous varieties of squid, including immature “baby squid,” worldwide, particularly in Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia. The body (or mantle), arms, and tentacles are all edible and used in cooking, and squid ink, extracted from the ink sacs, is commonly used in Japanese and Mediterranean cuisines. 
Consider the following tips for making and serving squid ink risotto:

1. __Add more ink__. The more squid ink, the more black the risotto will be. You can purchase a squid with ink sacs intact or buy squid ink or cuttlefish ink from a fishmonger or specialty grocery store. Prepare and [clean the squid](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-clean-squid) before cooking.
2. __Flavor with seasonings__. You can use various seasonings to flavor squid. Cook squid with salt, pepper, and garlic, or add red pepper flakes, white wine, saffron, lemon juice, and lemon zest as it’s cooking.
3. __Make seafood stock__. For more flavor, cook the rice in [fish stock](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-fish-stock) or seafood stock. Make homemade stock using fish bones, heads, and other remnants. You can also purchase seafood stock from a fishmonger.
4. __Top with other seafood__. Add prawns, clams, or other types of seafood on top of the squid ink risotto to make a [paella](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/classic-spanish-paella-recipe-tips-ingredients-and-techniques)-like dish. For more texture, bread the squid pieces to make calamari.
Squid ink risotto is a creamy rice dish made with squid ink and pieces of squid. This seafood recipe makes for an earthy, flavorful main course.

Squid ink risotto, also known as risotto Nero, is a creamy Italian rice dish featuring squid ink and pieces of cooked squid. The squid ink colors the risotto black and adds an <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-umami-learn-about-umami-and-how-to-incorporate-umami-flavors-in-your-cooking' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-umami-learn-about-umami-and-how-to-incorporate-umami-flavors-in-your-cooking","linkCopy":"umami flavor","category":null}'>umami flavor</a> to the rice dish. You can garnish squid ink risotto with chopped parsley. <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/risotto-recipes' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/risotto-recipes","linkCopy":"Risotto recipes","category":null}'>Risotto recipes</a> traditionally call for <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/what-is-arborio-rice-basic-arborio-rice-risotto-recipe' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/what-is-arborio-rice-basic-arborio-rice-risotto-recipe","linkCopy":"Arborio rice","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>Arborio rice</a>—a rounded, short-grain rice with a high starch content—though you can substitute carnaroli rice or other grains for an oat or barley risotto.The key to risotto is the cooking method: Sauté the starch and then cook it on low heat as you add ladles of chicken stock. This allows the rice to release its starches gradually, yielding a perfectly al dente result in a creamy sauce.

What Is Squid Ink Risotto? 

The term “squid” describes more than three hundred species of cephalopods. Squid are related to octopuses and cuttlefish; they are predatory invertebrates, lack external shells, and have ink sacs for defense. Varieties of squid vary greatly—the smallest is less than an inch long, while the largest, the giant squid, can reach up to forty feet in length. Gould’s squid, a species commonly used for commercial consumption, is typically less than two feet long. People consume numerous varieties of squid, including immature “baby squid,” worldwide, particularly in Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia. The body (or mantle), arms, and tentacles are all edible and used in cooking, and squid ink, extracted from the ink sacs, is commonly used in Japanese and Mediterranean cuisines.

What Are Squid?

Consider the following tips for making and serving squid ink risotto:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Add more ink. The more squid ink, the more black the risotto will be. You can purchase a squid with ink sacs intact or buy squid ink or cuttlefish ink from a fishmonger or specialty grocery store. Prepare and <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-clean-squid' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-clean-squid","linkCopy":"clean the squid","category":null}'>clean the squid</a> before cooking. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Flavor with seasonings. You can use various seasonings to flavor squid. Cook squid with salt, pepper, and garlic, or add red pepper flakes, white wine, saffron, lemon juice, and lemon zest as it’s cooking. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Make seafood stock. For more flavor, cook the rice in <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-fish-stock' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-fish-stock","linkCopy":"fish stock","category":null}'>fish stock</a> or seafood stock. Make homemade stock using fish bones, heads, and other remnants. You can also purchase seafood stock from a fishmonger. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Top with other seafood. Add prawns, clams, or other types of seafood on top of the squid ink risotto to make a <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/classic-spanish-paella-recipe-tips-ingredients-and-techniques' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/classic-spanish-paella-recipe-tips-ingredients-and-techniques","linkCopy":"paella","category":null}'>paella</a>-like dish. For more texture, bread the squid pieces to make calamari. </li></ol>

4 Tips for Making Squid Ink Risotto

Simple Squid Ink Risotto Recipe 

Squid ink risotto is a creamy rice dish made with squid ink and pieces of squid. This seafood recipe makes for an earthy, flavorful main course.

Squid ink risotto is a creamy rice dish made with squid ink and pieces of squid. This seafood recipe makes for an earthy, flavorful main course.
