I first tried a similar dish when I was in France back in 2024. I was on a work trip there with some colleagues to discuss about projects to collaborate, and we stopped by this Italian restaurant for dinner for the final time and to celebrate what we managed to accomplish during the trip. Don’t ask me why we chose an Italian restaurant in the middle of Paris, we just went along with the bosses’ tastes.
I can’t remember the name of the restaurant anymore, but I remember the taste of the seared octopus. It was really memorable, tasty – slightly salted, soft and tender to bite into, and seared so well you could taste the slightly charred and burnt aroma when you bite into the octopus. That dish gave the whole trip such a good conclusion I have to thank myself for ordering it and giving it a try that night.
It’s important to get that first two steps correct – the boiling of the octopus till its tender enough, so that it is no longer chewy and difficult to chew off when you bite into it, and then after that knowing how to char it till its perfect. The accompanying sauce and sides play a supporting role and should be kept light to bring out the seared fragrance of this dish. If the octopus is done well enough, you honestly don’t even need a sauce to eat it with!
Ingredients:
- Octopus: 1, approximately 1.5kg (cleaned)
- Bay leaf: 3
- Garlic: 3 cloves (smashed) + 1 clove (whole)
- Red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar): 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp
- Red pepper: 2, roasted, deskinned, core and seeds removed
- Pine nut (or almond): ⅓ cup, toasted
- Garlic: 1 clove
- Olive oil: 2 tbsp + 3 tbsp
- Paprika: 1 tsp
- Stale bread: 1 slice, torn
- Salt: to taste
- Ground blackpepper: to taste
- Parsley: 1 stalk, finely chopped
Method:
- Place octopus in pressure cooker with water (to cover), bay leaves, 3 cloves smashed garlic & red wine vinegar (1 tbsp).
- Cook using the meat mode for 30min till tender. Cut octopus into bite-sized chunks.
- Blend together red pepper, pine nut, 1 clove whole garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, paprika, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar & stale bread till smooth.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add water for a more liquid consistency if preferred.
- Heat 3 tbsp oil in pan. Sear octopus till lightly browned on all sides & crisp.
- Place on serving plate. Garnish with parsley.
- Drizzle with red pepper dressing to serve.
Trick:
- Step 5, which is the searing of the octopus, is the most important step of this dish. Whether you sear it well or not will make or break the dish!
Serving:
3 – 4 persons
