A Boat, a Whale & a Walrus: Menus and Stories by Renee Erickson & Jess Thomson

Author:Renee Erickson & Jess Thomson [Erickson, Renee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781570619274
Publisher: Sasquatch Books
Published: 2014-09-30T00:00:00+00:00

pacific octopus salad

grilled beets, chermoula, shaved fennel and parsley salad

PREP TIME: 1 HOUR 35 MINUTES // TOTAL TIME: 2 HOURS 30 MINUTES // SERVES 10 AS PART OF A LARGER MEAL, OR 4 TO 6 AS A MAIN COURSE

THIS IS A RECIPE FOR SEATTLEITES, and for Alaskans, but also for anyone willing to step out of their normal pattern of food shopping and find a sustainable, trustworthy source for octopus in a place where fishmongers are willing to think outside the proverbial box. But here’s the truth: good octopus caught in the Pacific Ocean tastes significantly better than the standard baby octopus you find in most fish markets, which is often caught unsustainably. If you can, I really want you to cook Pacific octopus. I realize that obtaining it will require a bit of work. In Seattle, the work involves knowing a fisherman or a fishmonger and knowing how to ask for just part of one of the giant beasts native to our local waters.

In our restaurants, we have access to giant Pacifics—they sometimes weigh thirty-five pounds apiece—which we cut and cook many different ways. (Try the octopus terrine at Barnacle.) For this recipe, we use two cooking methods. First, we cut the head and wrist-thick tentacles into hunks and braise them in a mixture of aromatics and wine until absolutely tender, when the big pieces measure about 120 degrees F on a thermometer.

Next, we cook the small, winding tentacles in pieces in olive oil, with just lemon peel, bay leaf, and the water the octopus stores up in its own cells. Since the smaller pieces become tender much more quickly than the larger ones, this allows us to cook each piece perfectly.

In my dream world, you’d do the same thing; you’d find just a leg or two of a big guy and cook it two separate ways. I know, though, that it’ll probably be easiest for you to buy two smaller octopuses (or four tiny ones, if that’s all you can find), so that’s what I’ve called for in the recipe below. The smaller ones cook well using the second method. (If you buy frozen octopus, thaw it slowly and completely in the refrigerator for two or three days before cooking.) Look for wild-caught Pacific octopus from California, Hawaii, or Alaska—or, as we do, ask a fisherman to set aside his by-catch for you.

If you’ve never cooked octopus before, don’t worry—it’s much sexier to eat than it is to look at when it’s raw.

To save time the day you serve the salad, boil the beets and make the chermoula a day or two ahead, and assemble the fennel and parsley salad at the very last minute.

for the BEETS:

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

1½ pounds golden beets (about 4 medium), greens trimmed

1½ pounds red beets (about 4 medium), greens trimmed

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup Chermoula

for the OCTOPUS:

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

5 cloves garlic, smashed

Stripped peel of ½ large lemon

2 (4-pound) raw octopuses, cleaned, rinsed, and drained (see

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