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Pulpo al olivo
Pulpo al olivo: tender sliced octopus under a purple Botija olive mayonnaise
Created in Lima in the 1950s by a Japanese-Peruvian chef, pulpo al olivo is now a fixture of Nikkei restaurants and smart cevicherías: paper-thin rounds of tender, cold octopus covered with a smooth violet mayonnaise of Botija olives, the big, dark, fruity olives of the southern coast. It is cool, rich and briny, eaten as a starter with lime and a drizzle of olive oil. Allow 1 hour for chilling after cooking. Tough octopus is the usual let-down, and the fix is simple: use frozen octopus (freezing tenderises it) and simmer gently, never at a rolling boil. Because the sauce is an egg emulsion, make it with a pasteurised egg, or use a good ready-made mayonnaise. Chef's tip: slice the octopus while it's cold and firm; warm octopus slices raggedly.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the octopus
For the olive mayonnaise
To serve
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Fresh ingredients (6)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Bring a large pan of water to the boil with 1 onion, 2 bay leaves and 1 tsp salt. Holding 2 ⅝ lb octopus by the head, dip it into the water three times for a few seconds each, so the tentacles curl, then drop it in.
Step 2: Reduce the heat and simmer gently, partly covered, until a skewer slides easily into the thickest part of a tentacle.
50 minStep 3: Take off the heat and let the octopus cool in its water for 15 minutes, then drain and chill in the fridge until firm.
60 minStep 4: Blend 3 ½ oz Botija or Kalamata olives, 1 pasteurised egg, 1 garlic clove and 1 tbsp lime juice until smooth. With the blender running, pour in ¾ cup neutral oil in a thin stream until thick and creamy, then add 1 tbsp olive oil. It should be a light purple.
3 minStep 5: Slice the octopus tentacles very thinly on the diagonal and arrange the slices flat on a cold platter.
Step 6: Spread the olive mayonnaise over the octopus, drizzle with the rest of 1 tbsp olive oil and serve cold with 4 lime wedges, 1 tbsp parsley and 1 avocado.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 35 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pulpo al olivo take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
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