.jpg)
This recipe is brought to you in collaboration with our fellow Carriageworks Farmers Market stallholder, the wonderful Zee’s Love In A Jar, who manufacturers a delicious range of Moroccan-inspired products, including her famous Shakshuka sauce.
It’s al fresco dining season! Octopus is notorious for being tough, and difficult to cook. But no more! This method is both simple and full-proof, ensuring tender octopus every single time. Plated with strained Buffalo Yogurt, and a bright Preserved Lemon salsa, this is the perfect sharing plate. We recommend serving this in the middle of the table with warm flatbread, and ice cold beers.
STRAINED BUFFALO YOGURT
750g Vannella Cheese Buffalo Yogurt
Sea Salt, to season
PRESERVED LEMON SALSA
1 jar Zee’s Love In A Jar Preserved Lemon
3–4 stems Fresh Coriander, finely chopped
3–4 stems Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
½ Garlic clove, finely crushed
1 Birds Eye Chilli, finely chopped
½ Lemon, juice (plus more if needed)
100ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt, to taste
GRILLED OCTOPUS
1.8kg Octopus, cleaned (beak, guts & eyes removed)
100ml Zee’s Love In A Jar Paprika Oil
Sea Salt, to taste
.jpg)
The strained buffalo yogurt needs to be prepared a day ahead. Stir a few pinches of sea salt into the yogurt, directly in the tub, until smooth. Cut a piece of cheese cloth and fold it once over so that there are two layers of cloth (once folded, you will need about a 30cmx30cm area), then lay it over a colander (a used ricotta basket works well). Spoon the salted yogurt mixture into the centre of the cloth, then gather the corners of the cloth together. Place the colander over a bowl underneath to catch the whey that drips out (it’s important the cloth is not sitting in direct contact with the bowl so that the whey can properly strain away from the yogurt). Leave it to strain for a minimum of 12 to 24 hours in the fridge. The longer you strain it, the thicker the end result will be.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Holding the octopus by the head, briefly dunk the octopus in and out of the water three times before fully submerging it. Reduce the heat to a low flame and keep the pot semi-covered. The water must always be gently simmering. Cook for 35-40 minutes, or until the octopus is tender. Test tenderness by inserting the prongs of a fork. If met with little resistance, the octopus is ready, if it still feels quite firm it may need an additional 5 minutes (note, it is completely normal that the octopus has reduced in size during the cooking process). Once tender, use tongs to remove the octopus from the water and allow it to cool completely. At this stage the octopus can be stored in the fridge for a later stage, or you can start grilling it immediately.
Drizzle the cooled octopus with some paprika oil and season with a pinch of sea salt. Place it onto a grill, for the most flavoursome results we like to grill it over the flames of a BBQ. Grill for a couple of minutes on each side, until nicely charred all over.
Meanwhile, prepare the preserved lemon salsa. In a bowl, combine the finely chopped preserved lemon, 4 tablespoons of the liquid from the preserved lemon jar, the chopped fresh herbs, chilli and garlic, with the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Taste a little to check for seasoning and lemon flavour (it should have a big bright punch of acidity which will cut through the richness of octopus and yogurt in the dish, so go ahead and juice the other half of the lemon, if required).
To assemble, spoon the strained buffalo yogurt onto a serving platter and spread it out with the back of a spoon. Pile the grilled octopus on top, then spoon the salsa all over. Finally, finish with a good drizzle of the paprika oil (Zee recommends you give the bottle a good shake before pouring to allow the spices that sit at the bottom of the bottle to combine back into the olive oil). We like to serve it in the middle of the table with warm flatbread and cold beers.
