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This Italian-style appetizer combines charred octopus with a warm white bean and cherry tomato salad tossed in a vinaigrette made from the rendered fat of the guanciale (an Italian cured meat from pork jowls). While octopus may seem like a restaurant-only dish, it’s actually not that difficult to prepare at home. It just requires some time to ensure it turns out tender. Rather than boiling and grilling the octopus (a classic preparation combination) I choose to use an immersion circulator to sous vide the octopus then char it in a cast iron skillet.
The octopus in this recipe is slowly cooked using the sous vide method. First, the octopus is added to a vacuum seal bag. There’s nowhere for the juices to go, as a result the octopus cooks slowly at a low temperature and remains tender as it cooks. Utilizing an immersion circulator allows you to precisely control the temperature of the water bath. As a result, the octopus is cooked evenly. To finish the dish, the octopus is charred in a cast iron pan, resulting in firm but tender octopus with a smoky exterior.
If you enjoy this charred octopus recipe, give these a try:
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Made this recipe for Christmas Eve but made the following modifications:
-sub fresh octopus for cooked Atlantic octopus (ideally from the Iberian peninsula)
-grilled the octopus on a charcoal grill
-skipped the guanciale as I couldn’t find the ingredient
-used top shelf olive oil
The quality of the octopus was very good, putting it over the charcoal grill charred it and took it over the edge. Dressing was simple and lemony, just as it should be. Delicious!
Great substitutions Rebecca! It is always so helpful when people share their experiences with a recipe so thank you so much! So happy to hear you enjoyed! Happy holidays!