Mandonguilles amb sèpia
A surf n’ turf Catalan recipe that combines meatballs with cuttlefish in a thick and aromatic stew
The soul of this dish perfectly represents Catalan gastronomy. Products from the sea and the land come together with the quintessential Catalan cooking technique: la picada — a paste made with toasted bread, almonds, parsley, saffron, and cooking liquid that brings body to any stew.
“La cuina d’un país és el seu paisatge posat a la cassola”. Josep Pla, El que hem menjat (1972)
My translation:
“The cuisine of a country is its landscape in a pot”.
Mar i muntanya is the original surf and turf. The idea of mixing meat from the land and ingredients from the sea is ancient — the Romans did it, as did people in the Middle Ages, whose palates were accustomed to sweet and savory combinations, often defined my Arab palates. Catalan cuisine reflects all of these diverse influences. Dishes known as mar i muntanya not only represent this culinary fusion, but also the landscape of the region: with the Mediterranean Sea, the Pyrenees, and the agricultural land in between — sea and mountain.
There are many dishes that combine surf and turf — mixing snails, pork trotters, sausage, shrimp, duck, cod, and squid — but the two most famous are pollastre amb llagosta (chicken with lobster), typical of the province of Girona, and this one.
Mandonguilles amb sèpia (or sípia) literally translates as “meatballs with cuttlefish.” I know it may sound odd, but trust me — it’s truly delicious. What really elevates it, as with most Catalan stews, is la picada. Also a Medieval invention, it has survived to the present day and is considered one of the master sauces of Catalan cuisine — alongside sofregit, samfaina, romesco, and allioli. Picada is essentially a paste made with a series of ingredients that is added to many stews, especially fish-based ones, to thicken them and add new layers of flavor.
The most typical ingredients in a picada are saffron, toasted bread, nuts, garlic, parsley, paprika — and sometimes even a carquinyoli biscuit or chocolate! Depending on the recipe, different ingredients are used, but there are always three types, according to chef David Solé i Torné in Picades. Identitat de la cuina catalana (2018): bonding agents (bread, biscuit, nuts, chocolate…), aromatics (garlic, parsley, saffron, paprika, cinnamon…), and liquids (olive oil, water, cooking liquid, wine, vinegar…). All are crushed into a paste and added to the stew at just the right moment.
Make this stew, and you’ll be transported to the coast of Catalonia —where the land and the sea meet and create beautiful and delicious things.
See the step-by-step video I created of the recipe below.
Ingredients
MAIN INGREDIENTS
9 oz (250g) ground pork (about 1 cup)
9 oz (250g) ground beef (about 1 cup)
1.1 lb (500g) cuttlefish, diced (about 2 ¼ cups). (You can substitute with squid if cuttlefish is hard to find.)
7 oz (200g) cooked peas (about 1 cup)
2 chopped onions, medium-sized
4 grated tomatoes, medium-sized (or about 1 ¼ cups grated fresh tomato)
1 egg
1 garlic clove
15 sprigs parsley, leaves only
Soaked bread (from about 1 slice of bread, crust removed, soaked in milk or water)
Flour, for frying (about ½ cup, as needed)
Extra virgin olive oil, for frying (about ½–¾ cup)
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Water, as needed
THE PICADA
A handful of toasted almonds (45g), (about 1.6 oz or ¼ cup)
Leaves from 5 sprigs of parsley
A few strands of saffron
1 slice of toasted bread
Cooking liquid, as needed (to loosen the paste)
Instructions
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4
Make the meatballs by mixing the ground pork and beef with the soaked bread crumbs, egg, minced garlic, chopped parsley (from 15 sprigs), salt, and pepper. Form into small balls, coat them lightly in flour, and fry in olive oil until golden. Set aside.
In the same oil, strained (about 2 tablespoons), sauté the chopped onion and grated tomatoes over medium heat until you have a thick, rich sofregit.
Once the sofregit is ready, add the diced cuttlefish, stir for a few minutes, then add water to cover. Simmer gently until the cuttlefish begins to turn tender.
Prepare the picada: First, add the saffron threads to a small container with a few tablespoons of hot cooking liquid (from the stew) and let them infuse for a few minutes to release their aroma and color. Meanwhile, in a mortar (or food processor), pound or blend together the toasted almonds, parsley leaves (from 5 sprigs), and toasted bread slice. Once the saffron liquid is ready, add it to the mixture to loosen the paste until smooth but thick.
Add the meatballs, the picada, and the cooked peas to the pot. Stir gently to combine. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Let everything simmer slowly for about 40 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and all the flavors have melded beautifully.
Serve warm with some bread for dipping.
Bon profit!
Some tips + downloadable card
This recipe is traditionally made with sípia (cuttlefish), but squid is a fantastic substitute as well.
First, prepare the meatballs and have your mise en place ready — with the cooked peas, chopped onion and tomato, the ingredients for the picada set aside, and the diced cuttlefish or squid. Everything will go much more smoothly if you prepare before you start cooking.
It’s a very easy dish, even if the list of ingredients is a bit long. One more tip to remember: let the saffron threads infuse in a bit of hot cooking liquid for a couple of minutes before adding them to the rest of the picada. Some people add the saffron directly to the dry ingredients, but it’s always better to let them soak in liquid first, then add it all together.
Be careful with how much water you add to the stew — the final dish should be fairly thick, not watery. If it seems too liquidy, let it simmer a bit longer, or let it rest for a while before serving; it will absorb most of the excess liquid.
To serve, you can enjoy it as is, with some extra bread for dipping (believe me, you’ll need it!), or you can pair it with artichokes, potatoes, or rice. It'll be absolutely delicious no matter how you serve it!
See the step by step video I created of the recipe. Bon Profit!
Looks amazing! We have parsley growing in our commmunity garden, I’ll try using it to make la picada. Also a great reason to get some saffron!