The Kata Rocks Clubhouse

Octopus carpaccio

Octopus carpaccio

4 servings

Main ingredients

• 1 octopus, 1.5 kg, cleaned
• 1 onion, peeled
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 medium carrot
• 4 black peppercorns
• 6 juniper berries
• 2 bay leaves
• Special gear: plastic bottle of roughly 8-10 cm radius
• ½ cup pickled pineapple
• ½ cup Cherry tomato
• 1 cup fresh-picked coriander
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Main ingredients

• ½ pineapple cut into small cubes
• 1 ½ cup seasoned rice vinegar
• ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ tablespoon kosher salt
• Juice of 2 limes

Cooking the octopus
1. Take a large pot, fill with enough water and toss in the onion, celery, carrot, peppercorns, juniper berries and bay leaves and bring to the boil. Holding the octopus by the head, dip the tentacles in the boiling water for a few seconds, remove and repeat to get the tentacles to curl up. 4-5 dips should work. Finally drop in the entire octopus and let simmer for about 70-90 minutes until tender and cooked.

2. Drain the octopus, and cut into 4-5 roughly even pieces.

3. Grab an empty plastic bottle, cut it in half leaving both the base and about 20cm of the bottle height intact. Using the tip of a sharp knife, punch 5-6 small holes in the base which will serve to drain excess liquid.

4. Place one octopus piece in the base of the bottle, and continue layering the pieces one after the other so that they are nice and snug.

5. Using a flat object, like the lid of a jar or a hamburger press, push down to tightly compress the octopus pieces and to remove excess liquid.

6. Cut down the sides of the bottle so that it is in line with the height of the contents. Wrap the entire thing tightly with plastic and store in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

7. When ready to serve, unwrap and cut open the plastic. The octopus should have become one tight block so that you can cut thin slices out of it as if you were slicing ham. Arrange them fanned out on a large platter.

Making the pickled pineapple
1. Place the vinegar, sugar, salt and lime juice in a small sauce pot. Bring to a simmer stir until sugar dissolves, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

2. Place the pineapple and cilantro into a large jar.

3. Pour the vinegar mixture over the pineapple, it should just cover the top.

4. Seal and refrigerate at least 1 hour day before eating.

5. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Pineapple will become tangier with time.

Garnish
Cut the cherry tomato into ¼ pcs and mix with pickled pineapple and fresh coriander. Season the sliced carpaccio with a little olive oil and pickling juice, salt and pepper. On top spread the mixed pineapple tomato around the sliced octopus, and season with salt and pepper.

About the Executive Chef Andrew Dickie

Kata Rocks new Executive Chef Andrew Dickie has quite a bit to give. His proficient mastery of regional and international cuisines is based in his passion for sharing knowledge and inspiring chefs to excel in the kitchen.

When not working, he enjoys chilling out with a good Anejo tequila. Travel is, of course, a big part of his life, and true to his Canadian roots he tries to get away and spend time in the mountains when he can. Chef Andrew, who hails from Canada and holds dual Canadian and UK citizenship, believes that creating unique dining experiences is both an art and science.

A composer of tastes, his culinary philosophy aims at simplicity while sourcing the best ingredients to compose dishes that combine taste, texture and visual surprises. “Good food is often the simplest food, prepared with the best ingredients available”.