C
arpaccio is a dish of Italian origin that has crept into our kitchens for its simplicity, freshness and beautiful presentation. In addition to the traditional beef carpaccio, there are other ingredients with which you will get the applause of your guests. Octopus carpaccio is a very easy recipe to prepare, but at the same time, it is sophisticated and original. Here we explain the recipe step by step and we also suggest several dressings.
Ingredients for the carpaccio base:
- Two large octopus legs
Octopus carpaccio recipe step by step
Preparing octopus carpaccio is very simple. For this dish you can choose our raw or cooked octopus, depending on whether you are going to prepare more recipes or just this one.
Cooking the octopus
To cook the octopus legs in a traditional pot, you just have to fill the pot with plenty of water, bring it to the boil and “scare” the octopus according to tradition. This is a key step for the octopus to be very tender. You only have to submerge and remove the legs from the boiling water three times for 5 seconds before letting them cook. As we will only use two legs, they will be tender in 15 minutes.
Once they are cooked, let them cool and wrap them in plastic wrap tightly and make a roll with them so that they are compact. Once cooked, freeze it again for 24 hours before preparing the recipe.
To cook the octopus in an express or fast pot, follow the same procedure and let it cook for 8 minutes from the time the valve goes up. Let it cool and freeze it in the same way as if you were cooking it in a traditional pot.
Cutting the octopus
To cut the octopus into very thin slices, it is best to use a mandolin. Cut the octopus while it is frozen to make it easier.
If you do not have a mandolin, you can slice the octopus with a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife. The salmon or ham knife is especially useful for very thin slices.
How to assemble the carpaccio
In a round dish or plate, place the octopus slices in a single layer without overlapping. Leave them in the fridge while you prepare the dressing for the octopus carpaccio.
Dressings for octopus carpaccio
As you can see, the base of this recipe is very simple. Depending on the dressing you choose, you can prepare all the variations you can imagine. Octopus goes very well with citrus dressings, spicy, green leafy vegetables and pickles. We suggest some dressings with which you can prepare carpaccio.
Octopus carpaccio with citrus vinaigrette
Ingredients for the vinaigrette
- 50 milliliters of extra virgin olive oil
- Rind of a lemon
- Juice of one orange
- 10 grams of apple vinegar
- Salt flakes
- Some fresh mint leaves
Mix the orange juice, vinegar, lemon rind and olive oil in a jar with a lid. Shake the jar firmly with the lid on to emulsify the vinaigrette. Drizzle the carpaccio with the dressing. To finish, sprinkle the salt flakes and finely chopped mint leaves on top.
Octopus carpaccio with pickled fennel dressing
Ingredients for the fennel dressing
- 1 fennel bulb
- 1 liter of water
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 150 milliliters of rice vinegar
- 2 spoonfuls of sugar
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt flakes
Cut the fennel into very fine julienne strips with a mandolin or a sharp knife. In a bowl, dissolve the sugar and salt in the cold water along with the vinegar and the two crushed garlic cloves.
Cover the fennel with the brine (the mixture of water, salt and sugar) and put it in the fridge for 24 hours. Drain the fennel. Assemble the plate with the octopus and the pickled fennel. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and finish with a few flakes of salt.
Octopus Carpaccio
Ingredients
- Sweet paprika de la Vera
- Spicy paprika de la Vera (optional)
- Extra virgin olive oil Picual
- Salt flakes
This carpaccio version of the most traditional octopus recipe is very simple. Just sprinkle the octopus with paprika and season with salt flakes and olive oil.
Octopus Carpaccio with pico de gallo dressing
This popular Mexican sauce is a perfect companion for octopus.
Ingredients for pico de gallo dressing
- 1 ripe tomato
- 1 fresh or canned jalapeño bell pepper
- 1 white onion or scallion
- Juice of one lime
- Salt
- Fresh cilantro
Remove the seeds from the tomato. Cut all the ingredients except the cilantro in brunoise (small squares). Finely chop the cilantro. Season with the salt and lime juice and leave it in the fridge for half an hour. Serve over the carpaccio.
Octopus carpaccio with tapenade
Tapenade or olive pate is another perfect dressing for this dish and very easy to prepare.
Ingredients
- A small clove of garlic
- 200 grams of pitted black olives
- One teaspoon of capers
- Two filets of salted anchovies
- 70 milliliters of extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of half a lemon
To make the tapenade you only have to grind the ingredients with the help of a blender. If you see that it is too thick, lighten it with a bit of water. Serve on top of the octopus carpaccio and add some salad lamb’s lettuce.
Octopus carpaccio with sundried tomato sauce
Ingredients
- 150 grams of sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 70 milliliters of extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh basil leaves
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Drain the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes and crush with the salt and basil. Add to the carpaccio and to finish, add freshly ground black pepper to taste and some olives.
Octopus carpaccio with avocado mayonnaise
This mayonnaise goes well with octopus and is great for summer because there are no raw eggs in it..
Ingredients
- 1 boiled egg
- 1 very ripe avocado
- Juice of half a lemon
- Extra virgin olive oil of arbequina variety
- Salt
Mash the egg and avocado with a blender. Add the salt and lemon juice and emulsify with the oil until you have the desired consistency. Serve over the octopus.
As you can see, preparing octopus carpaccio is very easy and with these dressing ideas you will have a different dish every time you need it or you can choose the one that best suits your type of business, or combine them as you like. The carpaccio base is very easy to make, you can even leave the roll prepared and cut as you need to prepare the dishes. Do you dare to cook it?
If you like fresh recipes with octopus, don’t miss this delicious octopus salad with avocado.
