Carpaccio of Slow Cooked Octopus
Author: Kiran Jethwa
Recipe type: Seafood
Cuisine: Seafood
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
A wonderful light dish for a perfect sunny afternoon and a great way to enjoy tender Octopus.
Ingredients
- Ingredients for the octopus
- 1 Large octopus
- 4 Lemons
- 100ml Red wine vinegar
- Ingredients for the salad
- 1 Large cassava
- 100g Desiccated coconut
- 2 Cooked beetroot
- 3 tbsp Smoked chilli sauce
- 200ml Olive oil
- 100ml Lemon juice
- 1 Bunch picked parsley
- 1 Bunch picked dill
- 1 handful bean shoots
- ½ Bunch rocket
- 1t tsp Honey
- Ingredients for the Melba toast
- Thin ciabatta
- ½ Tin anchovy’s
- 50ml Olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the octopus in boiling water with a bit of lemon juice and red wine vinegar for about 35 to 40 minutes.
- Cut the top off a tubular plastic bottle (water bottle) that is smooth on the inside and the same diameter all the way down with a knife and discard the top part and keep the bottom part.
- Portion the octopus into quarters. Force the cooked hot octopus into the bottle and press down firmly to ensure there are no air spaces in between the flesh. Cut the bottle into quarters first, and then again into eights so you have eight cuts. The next stage is to press all the cut bits down very tightly compacted and wrap with cling film. You must keep the pressure on it.
- Place in a fridge, the octopus will set it in the bottle. Be sure as you are placing the octopus in the bottle keep pressing it down getting it compact.
- Let the octopus set in the freezer for about 2 hours
- Place the coconut on a metal plate and place it under the grill to toast off till brown. Be careful with the coconut because it burns very fast
- Cut the cassava in the middle and make tiny chips and deep fry them
- Cut the beetroot and also slice them into tiny chips form and cook them at the same rate as the cassava
- For the dressing, bland to a ratio of 3:1 olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl add a spoonful of smoked chili sauce and whisk it together to combine. Season and add 1 tsp of honey.
- Add fresh chopped parsley and dill. Whisk together and your dressing is ready.
- In a bowl add a handful of rocket, thinly bean shoots, crispy cassava sticks, beetroot, a little bit of the toasted coconut and toss them through. Add a little bit of the dressing over the salad and mix it thoroughly, then set it aside.
- For the melba toast cut two very thin slices from the Ciabatta, cut off the crusts and trim them nicely.
- Spread some anchovy onto one slice of the Ciabatta, then place the other slice on top of it and really squeeze it till nice and flat.
- In a pan pour a little bit of olive oil when it’s hot place the Ciabatta and fry it off till brown on both sides, this will cook for about a minute on each side.
- Place the octopus on a mandolin and slice it thinly. (If you do not have a mandolin you can use a sharp knife, you will not get as thin slices but still works fine.) Then set aside.
- To serve place pour some dressing on a plate just enough to cover the bottom of the plate. Layer the whole plate with the thinly sliced octopus. Get a handful of the salad and place it at the center of the plate and top it off with the melba toast.
