Jibia en Salsa: Andalusian Cuttlefish Stew with Paprika (61) 2026

Jibia en salsa is a hearty Andalusian seafood stew from Almería, where cuttlefish is gently simmered in a rich sauce of onion, peppers, tomato and ground almonds. The name jibia is how many Spaniards refer to the larger cuttlefish, and it makes a wonderfully meaty base for this one-pot dish.

Everything comes together in a single cazuela: the cuttlefish is seared until golden, the vegetables are slowly sofrito-ed, and the whole lot is blended into a smooth, deeply savory sauce. A splash of white wine and fish stock bring it all together, while the fried almonds add body and a subtle nutty depth.

It is an easy, forgiving recipe that works just as well with fresh cuttlefish from the fishmonger as with frozen. Serve it with crusty bread or over rice to soak up every last drop of that beautiful sauce.

Ingredients for Jibia en Salsa

This recipe makes 2 generous servings.

• 400 g cleaned cuttlefish (jibia)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 150 g onion
• 75 g red bell pepper
• 75 g green bell pepper
• 30 g raw almonds
• 35 g olive oil
• Salt
• 1 teaspoon choricero pepper pulp
• 60 g tomato frito (fried tomato sauce)
• Ground black pepper
• 60 ml white wine
• 350 ml fish stock

How to Make Jibia en Salsa Step by Step

1. Cut the cuttlefish into bite-sized pieces

Start by cutting 400 g of cleaned cuttlefish. Cut the body into bite-sized squares, and chop the tentacles and fins into small pieces.

2. Chop the garlic, onion and peppers

Slice 2 garlic cloves thinly, and cut 150 g onion, 75 g red bell pepper and 75 g green bell pepper into small squares. There is no need to chop them very finely since the sauce will be blended later.

3. Fry the raw almonds

Place a cazuela over medium-high heat with 10 g of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add 30 g of raw almonds and fry them for a couple of minutes until golden. Remove them from the pan and set aside.

4. Sear the cuttlefish

In the same cazuela, add another 10 g of olive oil and set over high heat. Once the oil is very hot, add the cuttlefish and sauté for 5 minutes until nicely golden. Remove it from the pan, season with salt and set aside.

5. Sauté the garlic and onion

In the same cazuela, add 15 g more olive oil, add the garlic and sauté for a few moments. Then add the onion and a pinch of salt, stir and cook for 6 minutes over medium heat.

6. Add the peppers to the sofrito

Next, add the red and green bell peppers, stir them into the onion sofrito, add another pinch of salt and cook for about 7-8 minutes.

7. Add the choricero pulp, tomato and wine

Add 1 teaspoon of choricero pepper pulp, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Then add 60 g of tomato frito and a pinch of ground black pepper. Stir and cook the mixture for 3 more minutes. Next, raise the heat, add 60 ml of white wine and cook for 1 minute until the alcohol has completely evaporated.

8. Crush the fried almonds

Now that the sofrito is ready, crush the fried almonds in a mortar.

9. Add the fish stock and almonds

Add 350 ml of fish stock and the crushed almonds to the cazuela. Stir and wait for the stock to come to a boil. Once it starts boiling, cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat.

10. Blend the sauce

Remove the cazuela from the heat and blend the sauce with an immersion blender until smooth and lump-free.

11. Return the cuttlefish to the cazuela

Put the cazuela back on the heat, add the cuttlefish and mix it well into the sauce.

12. Cook until the cuttlefish is tender

Cook the mixture for about 30-35 minutes over medium-low heat until the cuttlefish is tender.

13. Serve

Serve the jibia en salsa hot, with plenty of sauce and crusty bread on the side.

Tips for the Best Jibia en Salsa

Choose the right cuttlefish

Jibia is the name given to the larger cuttlefish in parts of Spain. Fresh cuttlefish cleaned at the fishmonger works beautifully, but frozen cuttlefish is a perfectly good substitute. Note that the 400 g in the ingredients list refers to fully cleaned cuttlefish, since this mollusk loses quite a bit of weight during cleaning.

Build the sofrito slowly

The depth of flavor in this stew comes from cooking the onion and peppers gently before adding the choricero pulp, tomato and wine. Give each stage its full time and let the wine evaporate completely so the sauce tastes round rather than sharp.

Blend before returning the cuttlefish

Blending the sauce smooth before adding the cuttlefish back in gives you a silky, homogeneous base that coats the seafood beautifully. Then simmer gently for the full 30-35 minutes so the cuttlefish turns tender without falling apart.

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