For this octopus dish, we wanted to infuse the natural seafoody flavour with some smokiness. We relied on a few ingredients to add that component: smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, and some liquid smoke. From there, we gave our octopus the sous vide treatment to cook the proteins low and slow to make everything extremely tender. And then, we seared it in cast iron to add the benefits of Maillard effect. In the end, we wound up with a super flavourful and extremely tender set of octopus tentacles, which made for an awesome meal.
We served our octopus over a Smoky Tomato Velouté and mashed potatoes with some sauteed snow peas on the side.
Time: 5.5 Hours
Ingredients:
- Octopus (2 tentacles makes a good serving)
- Smoked Paprika
- Chipotle Chili Powder
- Liquid Smoke
Method:
- Break down your octopus. Then, cut the tentacles into sets of 2.
- Sprinkle some smoked paprika and chipotle chili powder (if you want a little heat) on your octopus, and then place into zip top or vacuum seal bags. Spritz in a little liquid smoke if you want additional smokiness.
- If using vacuum seal bags, vacuum seal them. If using zip top, submerge slowly in water while holding the opening out of the water. When the water has displaced all of the air, seal.
- Set up a large pot of water, and use your sous vide circulator to heat the water to 170 degrees F. Then, add your octopus into the hot water bath, and sous vide at that temperature for 5 hours. This step will make your octopus extremely tender.
- When your octopus is finishing its sous vide time, start to heat a cast iron pan with a little oil.
- Remove your octopus from the hot water, and then pull it out of the bags. Pat the octopus dry with paper towels, and remove the skin if you like…it should come off when you rub it with the paper towels.
- When your pan is hot, sear your octopus for a couple of minutes on each side.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
