carpaccio of octopus
If you have been following 2Gourmaniacs for a while, you’ll recall how much we like octopus. The secret to great octopus is slooooooowwwwwwww cooking. A great way is to braise it in a 275 degree oven. Refer to: http://www.2gourmaniacs.com/fine-food-food-photography/braised-octopus-asian-courtbouillon/
But recently it occurred to me that octopus would be an ideal candidate for sous vide. So, in preparation for another 2Gourmaniac Christmas dinner, I made a test sous vide octopus appetizer. Actually, it would be great as a first course, or with just one or two medallions, it could be a wonderful amuse bouche.
Serves 6 as an appetizer, 12 as an amuse bouche
Ingredients:
1 large octopus (4-5 lbs); if frozen, thaw in the refrigerator
1 peeled and sliced carrot
1 large shallot minced
10 juniper berries
1 large celery stalk peeled and sliced
8 black peppercorns
8 white peppercorns
3 bay leaves
¼ cup white whine
2 Tbsp mirin
Method:
Place the whole octopus in a vacuum bag with all the above ingredients and seal it. Insert the sealed bag in the sous vide oven bath, already warmed up to 170 degrees temperature, and let it slow cook for 7 hours.
octopus and ingredients vacuum sealed
When ready, remove the bag with the octopus from the water oven and let it cool to room temperature. Cut open the bag and remove the octopus. (there will be visible shrinking because much of water has rendered from it). Discard the rest of the bag’s contents. Pat the octopus dry with a clean kitchen towel and center it on a large piece of plastic wrap spread out on a work surface. I positioned all the tentacles alongside the body, pointing in the same direction. Wrap the octopus as tightly as possible in the plastic wrap, place in a small bowl to collect any extra liquid, and refrigerate overnight.
Next day, unwrap the octopus from the plastic wrap. To make the “carpaccio medallions” place the octopus on a deli style slicer or a large mandolin with the body perpendicular to the cutting blade. The idea is you want to cut almost transparent cross section slices off the octopus.
Arrange the slices on a plate in a small pool of your best quality olive oil, some lemon slices and parsley, or in my case Thai basil.
Note: If you don’t have a sous vide water oven, follow our instructions for slow braised octopus.
http://www.2gourmaniacs.com/fine-food-food-photography/braised-octopus-asian-courtbouillon/
When the octopus is tender, follow the instructions above for wrapping, refrigerating, and slicing the cooked cephalopod.
RMA
