Diana Chan recipe: Octopus Carpaccio

I spent a couple of weeks in Greece recently, and one thing I noticed was how the Greeks prepared seafood so simply. It is straight from ocean to plate, making it so fresh and tasty. All over Greece you will find old men tenderising octopuses by hitting them against rocks. We don’t do this in Australia, but I believe some restaurants and houses have dedicated washing machines to tumble octopus and tenderise them.

Another way is to massage the tentacles for 30-40 minutes. This recipe uses a tenderised tentacle, which can be bought from your fishmonger. I get mine from my dear friend Angelo, of Aptus Seafood, at South Melbourne Market. It saves the hassle of cleaning up and having sore hands. I try to make it there once a week to get my seafood, and curb my oyster cravings.

There are also many ways to prepare the tentacle – slice it into thicker pieces or serve it whole with a side of greens. Do not overcook the octopus, because it will be rubbery if you do. Yamas!

Octopus Carpaccio (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 pre-tenderised octopus tentacle

Good olive oil

A few sprigs of thyme

Salt to taste

For garnish/ dressing:

A few sprigs of fennel fronds

Juice of 1 lemon

6 radishes, thinly sliced to 1mm thickness

Method:

1. Place a griddle on high heat. Alternatively, you may use a barbecue if you have one. Add some olive oil and when the griddle is hot, place in the octopus. Drizzle with more olive oil.
2. Add in the thyme. Cook the tentacle for approximately 10 minutes on high heat, turning around every 30 seconds .You want to get a nice char on the suction cups. Season liberally with salt.
3. Once cooked through, remove the tentacle and let it cool.
4. Once cool, using a sharp knife, slice vertically down the middle into discs of 2mm thickness.
5. Place the discs on some baking paper creating a grid of four by five, or however many you like. You may want to do multiple plates. Place another piece of baking paper over the top of the sliced octopus and place something heavy on top to compress it. Leave overnight in the fridge. This part is optional. You can serve immediately, but leaving it overnight allows it to dry out a little and form a better shape.
6. When ready to serve, remove the weight and baking paper. Transfer the octopus onto a serving plate. Drizzle over some olive oil and add some radishes on top and around the carpaccio. Garnish with fennel fronds and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt.