What Is Black Pasta?
Black pasta is a type of noodle that is made with flour, eggs, oil and squid or cuttlefish ink. It is from from the squid or cuttlefish ink that seafood manufacturers extract from the cephalopod’s ink sacs that are located between its gills that the pasta receives its black color. Seafood dishes best complement black pasta’s natural aquatic flavor.
To make black pasta, semolina flour is poured onto a large wooden cutting board and a deep well is made in the center of the flour. Next, eggs, squid ink and oil are poured into the well and a fork is used to beat all of the ingredients until dough forms. Throughout this process, flour must be pushed up from the well to ensure that the ingredients are well incorporated into the dough.
The dough is kneaded for approximately six minutes or until it is slightly sticky and pliable. The dough is then wrapped in plastic and allowed to sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes. Finally, the dough is cut into the pasta or noodle shape desired using a sharp knife or pasta cutter.
Some seafood varieties commonly served with black pasta include squid, cuttlefish, mussels, clams, shrimp lobster, blue crab and king crab.
