Octopus Carpaccio

When we first arrived in Italy we were invited to a young couples house for dinner in San Felice, by the sea. The husband lives to dive, surf and fish in the ocean and he had caught an octopus and it was featured on the menus that night. It was strange for us to see an octopus being cooked with its strange suction cup lined tentacles and bulbous head. It was even stranger to eat one. But his octopus salad was fresh from the sea and served in a cold salad with celery, lemon and parsley. My husband who is not usually a seafood guy, absolutely loved it and dove right in. You can read the story of dinner that night on my article “Dinner for Six”.

We weren’t 100% converted that night but the door was left open for future octopus experiences. Fast forward to this week, just one week before we head back to California for a few months. I am feeling nostalgic for eating things that I will not be able to enjoy once we are back home. A friend of mine is telling me about a beautiful dish his sister makes of Octopus Carpaccio. His entire family raves about it and it’s demanded at their family gatherings. He explained to me that it is made in a plastic bottle. I can’t imagine how this would be so I come home and google it, I find that there are several recipes available on how to make Octopus Carpaccio in a plastic bottle, wow, so it’s a “thing”.

So I go to my local Pesceria (fish shop) and timidly point to the slimy octopus on display. The guy behind the counter snatches it up, weighs it and hands it to me in a bag. I guess I am committed to making this thing. Because I wasn’t sure what I was doing I only bought one medium size octopus, about 1/2 kilo or 1 pound. This was enough for an appetizer size serving for four people. I take it home and start my preparations. You will need to allow 24 hours to make this recipe and at least one hour to cook it. You don’t have to make it in a plastic bottle, you can also serve it as a loose salad but it made a very impressive little appetizer in its perfect little circle shape.

First you must make sure the octopus has been previously frozen, if not, you need to take it home and freeze it, this is important to insure tenderness. Then you need to boil it for one hour and then allow it to completely cool in its own water, this too insures tenderness. Once you have chopped it and pressed it into the bottle, it will loose a little juice but will congeal in the bottle. By putting it in the freezer for the last 2-3 hours it will make it easier to cut into slices. I also appreciated that by doing it this way you could allow it to rest on the counter an hour before serving and it will still be cold. Of course you do not want to serve anyone still frozen fish.

I am happy to report that my first voyage into the world of Octopus Carpaccio was a raving success and delighted all of my guests. I am starting to feel like a real Italian chef when I have mastered the cooking of an Octopus, Buon Appetito!

Octopus Carpaccio

(Polpo Carpaccio for 4 persons)

1 cleaned octopus (1/2 or 1 pound)
1 carrot
2 stems of celery
1 onion
a few stems of parsley
Pinch sea salt
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 rib of celery
a few cherry tomatoes
one empty water or beverage bottle

You can use fresh or frozen octopus, but if you use fresh, you should freeze it first because this will make it more tender. Defrost octopus and start a pot of water to stew the already defrosted octopus. Add the carrot, celery, onion and salt to the pot and bring to a boil.

Hold your octopus by the head and dip it into the hot water up to the tentacles a few times. This will make the tentacles curl up and give your octopus a more uniform shape. Cook the octopus for one hour. Allow it to cool in its own water, this also will make it more tender.

While the octopus is cooking, prepare your water bottle. Cut the top of the water bottle off and cut a few holes in the bottom of the bottle to allow access liquid to drain off. Catch the liquid in a plate or shallow bowl.

Cut the octopus into large pieces and place in the Plastic bottle. Use another glass bottle or jar to press down to remove any air pockets. Wrap the bottle with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for 24 hours. During the last three hours place in the freezer, if it is almost frozen it will be easier to slices, but not frozen solid.

Put the chopped cooked cooked octopus In a plastic bottle and press down with a smaller jar

Slice the Octopus into thin slices. Before serving, add 4 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice and chopped parsley. Remove the octopus carpaccio from the bottle and slice with a sharp knife. Add chopped fresh celery and slices cherry tomato to the plate, drizzle with the olive oil parsley mixture and serve.