Ingredients
| 100g table salt | |
| 1 litre water (for brine) plus 1 litre (for steaming) | |
| 1 small fresh or defrosted octopus (approx 1kg, head removed) | |
| 1 fennel bulb, stems sliced (set the bulb aside for the salad) | |
| ½ onion, roughly sliced | |
| ½ stalk celery, roughly sliced | |
| 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly toasted | |
| ½ lemon, sliced | |
| 2 sprigs thyme | |
| 1 bayleaf | |
| 3 egg yolks | |
| zest and juice of 2 limes | |
| zest and juice of 1 pink grapefruit/pomelo | |
| zest and juice of 2 lemons | |
| 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard | |
| hot sauce (Huffmans, Kaitaia Fire, Tabasco) to taste | |
| pinch cayenne pepper | |
| 250ml extra virgin olive oil | |
| 200ml canola oil | |
| 1-2 grapefruit extra for salad |
If the octopus tentacles are spindly and thin, they won’t need a 24-hour brine – cut this back by 4 to 5 hours. Once cooked, the flesh should be tender but not mushy; the best way to check is to try a piece once it’s been steamed, as everyone likes octopus cooked a little differently, so find what is good for you. The mayo recipe makes more than is required, but it’s much easier to do a larger amount and the mayo is great combined with a little crème fraîche for a potato salad. A good amount of hot sauce is needed to lift the zestiness, and probably more salt than you think – trust your palate.
Instructions
| 1. | The day before cooking, make a brine with the salt and 1 litre of water. |
| 2. | Rinse the octopus under cold running water, massaging tentacles to remove any black from the suckers. |
| 3. | Submerge in the brine and chill for 24 hours. If there isn’t enough brine, just mix up a bit more using the same ratios. |
| 4. | On the day, place all the aromatics into a deep saucepan along with another litre of water. |
| 5. | You will be steaming above this pot, so it needs to be deep enough that the aromatic liquor doesn’t boil rather than steam the octopus. |
| 6. | Bring the liquor to a simmer and boil gently for 10 minutes before you begin the steaming. |
| 7. | Drain and rinse the octopus, separating the tentacles with a knife if needed. |
| 8. | Place in a single layer in a steamer insert or a bamboo steamer basket. They can be fairly close together; as they cook, the flesh will pull away, allowing more steam through. |
| 9. | Steam over a medium heat, with the lid on, for 15-25 minutes until a knife can easily pierce the flesh. Set aside. |
| 10. | Use a food processor or a hand-held whisk to combine the yolks with all the zest and juices, the mustard, a good few pinches of salt, a few splashes of hot sauce and the cayenne. |
| 11. | Slowly add the oils in a thin, steady stream. |
| 12. | If the mayo gets too thick too quickly, add a drop or two of water (it should drip off a spoon easily, but not be runny). |
| 13. | Season to taste. |
| 14. | TO SERVE, peel the whole grapefruit and cut into segments. |
| 15. | Finely shave the reserved fennel bulb on a mandolin or by hand. |
| 16. | Shock in a little iced water with a squeeze of lemon; drain well. |
| 17. | Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. |
| 18. | Once hot, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan, then fry a couple of tentacles at a time. |
| 19. | Allow the skin to colour, then turn to colour the other side. |
| 20. | Once all the octopus is caramelised, cut into bite-sized pieces, arrange on top of the fennel. |
| 21. | Serve garnished with grapefruit and generous dollops of the mayo. |
Recipes & food styling Teresa Pert / Photography Amber-Jayne Bain
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