Serve as part of a Spanish tapas or as a standalone dish.
Equipment: You will need a deep-fat fryer or a deep, heavy-bottomed pan.
Ingredients
- 2 bunches fresh coriander
- 1 handful parsley
- 1 spring onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 250ml/9fl oz olive oil, preferably Arbequina, plus extra for shallow frying and drizzling
- 75ml/5 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp ground cayenne
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 x 2–3kg/5-7lb double-sucker octopus, cleaned and left whole, beak and eyes removed
- ½ onion
- 1 bay leaf
- 500g/1lb 2oz new potatoes
- 4 shallots, roughly chopped
- 250g/9oz txistorra, or other cured sausage, cut into 4cm/1½in cubes
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- vegetable oil, for deep frying
- 2 Jerusalem artichokes, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
Method
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For the mojo verde, put the coriander, parsley, spring onion, garlic, 170ml/5½fl oz olive oil, white wine vinegar, cayenne, cumin, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse to a coarse paste. Set aside.
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Bring a large pan of water to boil. Add the octopus, onion and bay leaf and simmer until tender. (This takes about 20 minutes per kilo. If a tooth pick slides through a tentacle easily, then the octopus is cooked). Once cooked, separate the octopus legs from the body by cutting at the join and then cut each leg into pieces.
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Heat a dash of oil in a pan set over a medium heat. Add the octopus and fry for 2–3 minutes.
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Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and add the new potatoes. Boil for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Drain and leave to cool enough to handle. Cut into halves.
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Heat a frying pan with the remaining 80ml/2¾fl oz olive oil. Add the potato halves and shallots, season and fry until golden brown.
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Heat a pan until hot. Dry fry the txistorra until the skin looks golden and crispy.
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Preheat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Place the sliced artichokes into the fryer and cook for 1–2 minutes. Drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
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To serve, spread the mojo verde evenly onto a plate and place a mixture of the octopus, potatoes and txistorra on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil and garnish with the artichokes.