Pickled octopus makes a great starter – whether as part of a mezze or antipasto platter with grilled vegetables and dips or, as we’ve done here, as a salad.
Pickled Octopus originates from Greece, where it has been made for hundreds of years. In this recipe we’ve chosen to make the flavours more Asian. It’s an interesting twist on the dish.
Ingredients
Salad:
1 Cooked Octopus (See How to Cook Octopus Recipe)
1 small fennel bulb, thinly shaved
1 Cup coriander leaves, some stalk attached
2 Tbs olive oil
A few drops of sesame oil
Chilli flakes
Pickling Liquid:
100ml vinegar
100g castor sugar
150ml water
1 clove garlic
1 small chilli
1 large piece of lemon peel
1 large piece of orange peel
Salt to taste, approx 1 Tsp
Method
- Take your Cooked Octopus and chop it into bite sized pieces.
- For the pickling liquid, bring all ingredients to a simmer to dissolve sugar and then remove from the heat. Remove chilli (it will continue to add heat as long as it is left in, so if you like heat by all means leave it in) and cool.
- In a non-reactive container (glass or plastic is best) pour the pickling liquid over the octopus pieces. Store overnight in the refrigerator.
- To serve, drain octopus from pickling liquid. Toss with shaved fennel, coriander and oils. Sprinkle lightly with chilli flakes.