Black Risotto in Split: What It Is, Where It Comes From, What to Drink With It

Black risotto is one of the few dishes that identifies Dalmatian cooking at a glance. It arrives dark, almost black, in a stone bowl, and it smells of the sea before you taste it. Visitors photograph it; Dalmatians order it without opening the menu.

At Lvxor we make it to a recipe handed down along the Adriatic coast for generations, and it is on the menu all year rather than only in season.

Why it is black

The colour comes from cuttlefish ink. A cuttlefish carries a sac of dark liquid that it releases in the water as a screen when it flees a predator; in the kitchen that same ink colours the rice and gives it a salt-edged, faintly iodine taste you cannot get from anything else. This is not colour for effect. It is an ingredient that carries flavour.

That is also why it matters that it is cuttlefish and not squid. Squid gives a thinner, paler ink and softer flesh; cuttlefish gives denser ink and a firmer bite you can feel in the rice. Our black risotto is made with cuttlefish.

How it is cooked

A good black risotto needs time and patience. The rice cooks slowly, with fish stock added gradually, until the grains reach a creamy al dente texture. The stock is what holds the dish together: without it, this is only coloured rice.

We serve it in a stone bowl, which holds heat longer, so the last spoonful is as warm as the first.

Where it comes from

Black risotto was not invented by a restaurant. It came out of fishing households along this coast for a plain reason: when you clean the catch, the ink sac is right there, and throwing it away means throwing away flavour. The same logic sits behind most Dalmatian cooking, where a great deal is drawn from very little and nothing is wasted.

Today it is among the most requested specialities from guests who want to eat real Dalmatian food in the centre of Split rather than a tourist version of it.

Which wine to drink with it

The classic choice is a cold white with enough acidity to cut the creaminess. Pošip from the island of Korčula does exactly that: it has body, stone fruit and a saline finish that meets the cuttlefish ink rather than fighting it. Istrian Malvazija is the softer, more floral alternative for anyone who prefers a gentler white.

If you would rather drink red, keep it light. Plavina from Skradin, bright-fruited and low in tannin, will not overpower the dish. Save a heavy Plavac for the steak.

Where it is served

Black risotto can be ordered indoors, under the painted ceiling and the stone arches, and outside on the steps of Peristil. There is no rule about what goes out onto the square: the full menu is served.

It is on the menu for lunch and for dinner, alongside the other risottos and pasta and the rest of the seafood. The kitchen takes orders until 11.30 in the evening.