Black-as-ink risotto coloured with cuttlefish sac, with chunks of stewed cuttlefish folded in. The canonical inky Venetian rice dish.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
Risotto al nero di seppia is the canonical Venetian black-rice dish, coloured by the cuttlefish (seppia) ink sac and folded with the stewed cuttlefish meat. The dish is on every Venetian and lagoon-island trattoria menu and is one of the city's three canonical risotti (alongside risi e bisi and risotto di go). The cuttlefish is gently stewed in white wine and onion, then the ink sac is added in the last minutes to colour the rice; the dish should be a deep black, never grey. Best at Trattoria alla Madonna, Vini da Gigio and Al Gatto Nero on Burano.
Common allergens: Shellfish, Dairy
Tip from the editors. Get cuttlefish with ink sacs intact from a real fishmonger; supermarket cuttlefish often loses the sacs in cleaning.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Trattoria alla Madonna near Rialto in San Polo is the 1954 lunchroom with two-course Venetian set meals at EUR 18, the canonical mid-budget classic fish trattoria.
Try: Bigoli in salsa with fritto misto
Tip: Walk-in only. Arrive 12:00 for lunch or 19:30 for dinner. Closed Wednesdays.
Why locals love it: Lazzari family trattoria on Calle Stua in Cannaregio with a 1,200-label cellar that locals book first and tourists rarely find.
Tip: Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Book a week ahead. The wine cellar is the reason; ask Laura Lazzari for pairings.
Trattoria al Gatto Nero on Burano is the 1965 Bovo family room now run by Massimiliano Bovo, the canonical lagoon-fish lunch on the colourful fishing island.
Signature: Risotto di go, Bigoli with cuttlefish, Mixed grilled fish
Order: Risotto di go, bigoli al nero di seppia, the mixed grilled fish.
Tip: Book two weeks ahead. Ferry 12 from Fondamente Nove takes 45 minutes. Closed Mondays.
Why locals love it: Tucked on Fondamenta de la Sensa in far Cannaregio, the canal-side dining room is a 25-minute walk from San Marco that most visitors never reach.
Tip: Book a canal-side terrace table in summer. Closed Mondays. Bigoli in salsa and marinated anchovies are the moves.
Antiche Carampane in Venice's San Polo is the 1983 family-run seafood trattoria the Rialto fishmongers send friends to, the room with the no-tourist-menu sign on the door.
Signature: Spaghetti with lagoon clams, Fritto misto, Sarde in saor
Order: Spaghetti with vongole, fritto misto della laguna, sarde in saor.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead. Closed Sundays and Mondays. The dining room has 10 tables, so flexibility on date is more useful than time.
More cities are in research. Want risotto al nero di seppia covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.