Marinated Octopus, Fried Zucchini and Skordalia
Adapted from the book Cooking to Share. Use fresh octopus, usually sold cleaned of the innards; you only need to cut out the eyes and beak. If using frozen octopus, thaw it in the fridge and clean the eyes and beak again. A medium octopus cooks on average about 40 minutes until the flesh is tender but pleasantly chewy. The more it is boiled the more tender it gets, but overdoing it makes the flesh mushy, so watch it and test with a toothpick from the 30th minute. Makes 6-8 servings as meze or 4 servings as part of a main dish. The fried zucchini recipe is also adapted from Cooking to Share (4 servings as meze or side). The skordalia (a garlic sauce often served with fish and seafood) is adapted from The Authentic Greek CookBook (4-6 servings); variations add half or one small boiled potato for body.
Ingredients
| 1 | octopus, about 1.5 kg |
| 2 | bay leaves |
| 10 | black peppercorns |
| — | olive oil |
| — | white wine vinegar or lemon juice |
| — | dried oregano, for serving |
| 3 | medium zucchini, sliced lengthways 3 mm thick |
| — | salt and black pepper |
| 300 g | white flour |
| 350 ml | ouzo |
| — | sunflower oil, pomace oil or a mix, for frying |
| 250 g | stale white bread |
| 7 | garlic cloves |
| 120 ml | olive oil (for skordalia) |
| 50 ml | lemon juice (for skordalia) |
| — | salt (for skordalia) |
Instructions
Marinated octopus:
- Clean the octopus if not already cleaned in the shop, cutting out the eyes and beak. Wash it well under cold running water.
- Pour about 2 litres of water into a deep pot. Add the bay leaves and black peppercorns. Set the pot over high heat until the water boils. When it boils, dip the octopus in for 1-2 seconds and then pull it out. Wait for the water to boil again and repeat dipping and removing another 3-4 times. The tentacles will curl and the flesh will tenderise.
- Put the octopus in the water and boil over moderate to low heat for about 40 minutes. Check if done with a toothpick pierced into the thickest part of the tentacles; if it goes in and out easily it is ready. If you feel resistance, boil another 5-10 minutes, checking periodically. When ready, remove the pot from the heat and let the octopus cool in the water.
- Remove the cooled octopus from the water and cut into portions. Place in a suitable dish and cover with equal parts olive oil and acid (lemon juice preferred). Stir and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour. If left for the next day, take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving so the oil loosens and the meat comes to room temperature.
- The marinated octopus can be grilled for 1-2 minutes to warm it and give it a smoky flavour. Serve on a plate with some of the marinade and sprinkle with oregano.
Fried zucchini: 6. For precisely thin-sliced zucchini use a mandoline or a good V-slicer. Salt the zucchini and place in a colander to drain the water. Blot with kitchen paper. 7. Pour about 2-3 cm of oil into a wide deep pan and heat over moderate to high heat. Prepare the flour and ouzo separately in suitable plates. Season the zucchini with freshly ground black pepper. One by one, dip the zucchini slices in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip in the ouzo and place in the hot oil. Fry in batches until lightly golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper to drain. Serve immediately with tzatziki or skordalia.
Skordalia: 8. Remove the crust from the bread and soak the middle in cold water. Mix the olive oil with the lemon juice. 9. Drain the soaked bread well and place in a food processor with the garlic. Blend. Reduce the processor to low speed and gradually add the olive oil and lemon juice a little at a time. Blend until all the oil is added and the mixture is smooth. Be careful not to over-blend so it does not split. When ready, season with salt to taste. Serve chilled with fish, seafood, fried vegetables and whatever else you like.