Ingredients:
For the octopus carpaccio:
Octopus already cleaned: 1 kg
Carrot: 1
Celery: 1 rib
Onion: 1
Parsley: 2 sprigs
Black peppercorns: to taste
Garlic: 1 clove
For the citronette:
Extra virgin olive oil: to taste
Lemon (juice and zest): 1
Parsley: to taste
Thyme: to taste
Salt: to taste
Pepper: to taste
How to prepare the octopus carpaccio:
Step 1
Rinse the octopus thoroughly, already gutted and cleaned. Clean the carrots, onion, celery, garlic and parsley.
Step 2
Collect the vegetables together with the peppercorns in a large pot. Add plenty of cold water, then move to the stove and bring to a boil.
Step 3
Holding the octopus by the head, first dip the tentacles into the boiling water 5-6 times, so that they curl, then dip the mollusc and cook over low heat, with a lid, for 30 minutes. Once cooked, let the octopus cool in its water, without removing the lid.
Step 4
When the octopus is lukewarm, divide the tentacles from each other and cut the head into pieces.
Step 5
Cut a plastic bottle about halfway down its length.
Step 6
Place the cut bottle inside a container, then start inserting one piece of octopus at a time, pressing it well with a pestle or a ladle. During this operation, some water will form; drain some of it, but do not eliminate it completely, because it contains collagen which is essential for the success of the carpaccio.
Step 7
Once you have used up all the octopus pieces to insert, make vertical cuts along the edges of the bottle until you reach the mollusc.
Step 8
Fold the edges over themselves, so as to close them over the octopus.
Step 9
Seal the edges with a sheet of cling film.
Step 10
To apply more pressure to the octopus, place a glass jar filled with water over the octopus and seal it again with more cling film. Place the octopus in the fridge to firm up for at least 12 hours.
Step 11
After the necessary time, remove the film, extract the octopus by cutting the plastic bottle without damaging it and cut it into thin slices using a sharp knife. Place the slices on a serving plate.
Step 12
Prepare the citronette by working the extra virgin olive oil, grated lemon zest and filtered juice, chopped parsley, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl.
Step 13
Season the carpaccio with the citronette.
Step 14
The octopus carpaccio is ready to be served.
Tips:
You can serve the carpaccio cold and lightly dressed, perhaps accompanied by lemon wedges.
If you like, you can enrich the citronette with other aromatic herbs and a few pink peppercorns.
Enjoy!
