The body of the cuttlefish on its own, head, innards and the hard chalky plate all removed, so what is left is one clean bag of mantle with its speckled skin still on.

What It Is

Mantle only, opened flat into a fillet, with the head, tentacles, ink sac and internal shell taken out. The skin stays on: it is pinkish grey with fine dark speckling and it turns a pale even white the moment the flesh is cooked through.

Where It Comes From

Net-caught in coastal waters and landed live to a shore plant, where the mantles are cleaned by hand the same day. The cleaned fillets are laid flat and frozen individually so they do not weld into a single block.

Specifications

State on Arrival

Frozen individually and separately. The flesh reads translucent and slightly pearly through the skin, the surface is damp but not slick, and there should be no ammonia smell at all.

Storage and Thawing

Hold at -18 C or colder. Thaw in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours, then rinse and dry thoroughly. Score the inner face in a crosshatch before cooking: an unscored mantle curls hard and cooks unevenly.

Shelf Life and Delivery

Best within 3 months of the production date on the box. Ships frozen with dry ice and arrives hard; keep it frozen and cook it the day it thaws.

How to Cook It

This is a fast protein. Two minutes over high heat is enough; four minutes turns it rubbery, and there is no way back.

• Blanch drop scored strips into boiling salted water for 45 seconds, lift them out into iced water, drain and dress with oyster sauce and sesame oil.
• Stir-fry sear scored pieces in a very hot wok for 90 seconds with chilli and spring onion, then take the wok off the heat before the pieces start to curl.
• Tempura dip dry strips in a thin cold batter and fry at 180 C for 90 seconds until the coating is pale gold.
• Grill marinate whole scored fillets in gochujang and sesame for 20 minutes, then grill 2 minutes a side over high heat.

Allergen Information

Contains molluscs. Packed in a facility that also handles fish and crustaceans.