Greek Cuttlefish Braised in Wine (Soupies Krasates)

Cuttlefish gets far less attention than octopus in most kitchens outside Greece, but it takes just as well to a long, slow braise, and soupies krasates shows it off properly: cooked gently in red wine with onion and bay until completely tender, the cuttlefish's own ink darkening the sauce naturally as it cooks, without anything needing to be added for colour.

The technique mirrors htapodi krasato closely, since both cephalopods respond the same way to slow, wet cooking, becoming genuinely tender rather than rubbery given enough patient time in a simmering pot.

This is a good dish for anyone who has only ever had cuttlefish grilled quickly and found it chewy, since a proper braise here gives a completely different, much more forgiving result.

Key preparation steps

1. Clean and cut cuttlefish into rings or strips.
2. Build a red wine and onion base.
3. Braise the cuttlefish slowly until completely tender.
4. Reduce the sauce and serve with bread or rice.

Preparing the cuttlefish

Clean the cuttlefish, removing the internal bone, ink sac if keeping it separate, and any membrane, then cut the body into rings or strips and the tentacles into manageable pieces. Many fishmongers will clean cuttlefish on request, which saves real time and effort at home.

The wine and onion base

Cook a generous amount of sliced onion in olive oil until soft, then add the cuttlefish and cook briefly before pouring in a proper amount of red wine, along with a bay leaf and a little tomato paste for colour and body. Let the wine bubble for a couple of minutes before adding water to just cover.

The slow braise

Simmer gently, covered, for around fifty minutes to an hour, until the cuttlefish is completely tender, which is considerably longer than a quick grill but exactly what turns it from potentially rubbery to genuinely soft. Uncover for the final ten to fifteen minutes to reduce the sauce properly.

Serve with good bread to soak up the rich, dark sauce, or over plain rice.

What matters in this dish