Food and wine pairing

Plancha cuttlefish, chorizo and persillade, with AOP La Clape

Name: Plancha-grilled cuttlefish with chorizo and persillade, Camargue rice
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Languedoc — Narbonne area and Aude coast
Ingredients: 800 g cleaned cuttlefish (bodies and tentacles); 120 g mild chorizo; 4 garlic cloves; 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley; 6 cl olive oil; 1 unwaxed lemon; 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika; 250 g Camargue rice; Salt and freshly ground pepper

Between Narbonne and Gruissan, the La Clape massif towers over the sea and the lagoons. On this stretch of the Aude coast, cuttlefish grilled on the plancha with a little chorizo are a staple of summer gatherings. This simple, fragrant dish pairs with Méridiès AOP La Clape, a red made for grilled food.

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Food and wine pairings
Plancha cuttlefish, chorizo and persillade, with AOP La Clape

The recipe

Plancha-grilled cuttlefish with chorizo and persillade, Camargue rice

Serves 4Preparation 25 minCooking 20 min

Ingredients

800 g cleaned cuttlefish (bodies and tentacles)
120 g mild chorizo
4 garlic cloves
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley
6 cl olive oil
1 unwaxed lemon
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
250 g Camargue rice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

1
Cook the rice in plenty of salted water for the time indicated on the packet (about 15 minutes), drain and keep warm.
2
Rinse and dry the cuttlefish. Score the bodies in a criss-cross pattern on one side, without cutting through, then slice into 3 cm strips. Cut the tentacles in half.
3
Marinate the cuttlefish for 15 minutes with 2 cl of olive oil, one chopped garlic clove and the smoked paprika.
4
Make the persillade: finely chop the parsley and the three remaining garlic cloves, mix with 4 cl of olive oil, the lemon zest, salt and pepper.
5
Cut the chorizo into thin slices and grill for 2 minutes on the plancha or in a large, very hot frying pan. Set aside.
6
Sear the cuttlefish over a very high heat, in a single layer, for 2 to 3 minutes, turning them: any longer and they will toughen. Cook the tentacles for 1 minute more.
7
Return the chorizo to the plancha, add the persillade and toss for 30 seconds away from the fiercest heat.
8
Drizzle with a squeeze of lemon juice and serve immediately on the rice.

Why this pairing works

AOP La Clape

Méridiès AOP La Clape, a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah grown on a plateau of limestone scree, offers a Mediterranean nose of garrigue, spices and stone fruit. It pairs naturally with grilled food and tapas: these seared cuttlefish with chorizo bring the two together. The smoked paprika and the chorizo echo the spices in the wine, the persillade its garrigue notes. The nicely structured palate stands up to the character of the chorizo without overpowering the delicate flesh of the cuttlefish, and its freshness matches the zest and the squeeze of lemon that finish the dish.

Serve this red lightly chilled, at around 15 °C. Without the rice and speared on cocktail sticks, these pieces of cuttlefish and chorizo make lovely tapas for the aperitif.

Buy this wine Elsewhere in Languedoc

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