Maggie Beer

Grilled Octopus in Herb Dressing with Rouille

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Step 1: To make the herb dressing, add the dressing ingredients into a blender or food processor. Process until completely emulsified, then season with sea salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Step 2: Remove the black skin from the octopus tentacles and discard.

Step 3: Peel and slice kiwi fruit and cover the octopus on a long plate. This tenderises the octopus further.

To make the Rouille:

Step 4: Preheat a fan forced oven to 220C.

Step 5: Place the capsicum onto a baking tray and into the preheated oven to roast the capsicum until it collapses and the skin is black.

Step 6: Take capsicum from the oven and let it rest, before putting it in a plastic bag to sweat. When it is cool enough to handle, peel the skin and remove any trace of black.

Step 7: Soak the bread in the milk with the saffron threads for 10 minutes and squeeze it thoroughly.

Step 8: If using a food processor, place the capsicum, paprika, garlic, bread, lemon juice and egg yolks in the bowl and puree well. Season with sea salt and pepper. With the processor still running, pour in the Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a slow stream as you would for mayonnaise until well thickened. Add a little boiling water if required to thin.

Step 9: Adjust the seasoning if required.

Step 10: Slice the ends of the tentacles off and cut into pieces to fit your griddle pan. Brush off the kiwi fruit and discard, then dry carefully and place into a mixing bowl. Pour the herb dressing over the octopus and make sure to mix it through thoroughly.

Step 11: Heat a griddle pan over high heat until smoking and then cook the larger part of the octopus briefly on all sides until charred. Cook the rest of the thinner tentacles, being careful not to crowd the pan, for about 5 to 8 minutes for the large tentacles.

Step 12: Take the octopus out of the pan, squeeze lemon juice over and rest for 10 minutes.

Step 13: Slice on the diagonal and serve on a plate with the rouille and rocket. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and lastly a good splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Ingredients

  1. To taste salt flakes
  2. 70ml For frying and serving Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  3. 20ml 1 tbspn lemon juice

Rouille

  1. 60ml 3 tbspn milk
  2. A few strands saffron
  3. 2ml 1/4 tspn sweet smoked paprika
  4. 3 cloves garlic
  5. 2 slices white bread crusts removed
  6. 40ml 2 tbspn lemon juice
  7. 118g 2 egg yolks
  8. 5g 1 tspn dijon mustard

Octopus

  1. 800g giant octopus tentacles tenderised

Herb dressing

  1. 20g 1 tbspn salted capers rinsed and chopped
  2. 20g 1 tbspn lemon thyme chopped
  3. 375g 1 1/2 bunches flat leaf parsley roughly chpped
  4. 8g 2 cloves garlic roughly chpped

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