A delightful fusion of flavors featuring tender octopus, a savory miso-squid ink vinaigrette, and a tamed garlic-olive oil purée.
Octopus a la Plancha with Garlic Purée & Miso-Squid Ink Sauce
Inspired by Le Bernardin. This recipe was inspired by the author’s time interning in the kitchen at Le Bernardin, where they learned an interesting way to cook octopus – in a chorizo braising liquid. The tender octopus is then kept in a miso marinade before being charred to order, which is also genius. It’s a bit like putting umami on umami. The dish is served with a “tamed” garlic and olive oil purée a bit like Bagna Cauda and a few slices of Asian pear and celery leaves to give the dish a few hints of brightness.
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 head garlic, cut in half
- 1 small celery stalk, roughly chopped
- 1 small carrot, roughly chopped
- 2 parsley sprigs
- 4 ounces sliced chorizo or proscuitto
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt to taste
- 2 pounds octopus, tentacles only, washed and brushed with salt
- 1 tablespoon white miso
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon squid ink
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Cloves of 3 large heads garlic, peeled
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup XV Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- Asian pear, sliced
- Celery leaves
Directions
- In a large, deep skillet, combine 2 quarts of water with the onion, garlic, celery, carrots, parsley, chorizo, cayenne and salt. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Add the octopus to the broth (dip it in the hot liquid first, remove and dip it again), cover partially and simmer over low heat until tender, about 1 1/2 hour. Let the octopus cool in the braising liquid.
- In a small bowl, whisk the miso with the balsamic vinegar, oil, squid ink and 2 tablespoons of water. Season with salt and pepper.
- Blanch garlic 3 times (Put garlic cloves a pot of water. Bring to a boil. Drain. Repeat 2 more times). Return to saucepan and add the milk. Bring to boil over medium heat, careful to not boil it over. Reduce heat to low and simmer until garlic is very tender, about 10 minutes. Drain garlic through a sieve, and reserve 1 tablespoon of the milk. In a food processor, puree the garlic with olive oil and anchovy, adding the milk to make it creamy.
- In a bowl, mix the olive oil with the paprika and rub it all over the cooked octopus, season with salt. In a skillet, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the octopus and cook over high heat until browned all over, about 6 minutes. Transfer the octopus to a carving board and slice it crosswise 1/3 inch thick.
- Brush some of the Miso-squid ink vinaigrette on a four plates. Spoon some of the garlic puree in the middle. Top with the octopus “a la plancha”. Garnish with Asian pear and celery leaves.
- The garlic-olive oil puree is tamed by blanching it three times, cooking it in milk and emulsifying it with olive oil. This turns the lion into a little lamb, making it delicious and not overpowering.