Octopus with salmon caviar

Posted by petra08 on September 19, 2017 · 8 Comments 

I went to London the other day to see a friend. I made sure I got there a few hours early to do some food shopping. I love the availability of all kinds of food, some virtually impossible to buy where I live. Before I go I always think of what I need to stock up on and this determines where I go. This time I was after Asian ingredients and headed to Chinatown and the Japan Centre.

I can get some of the ingredients online but it is never quite the same as being in the store, browsing at ingredients I sometimes have no clue at all what they are or how to use them. I try to always buy at least one ingredient that I have never used and challenge myself to cooking something new.

 

Doing this I discovered salted rice malt that I used for skate cheeks, it was a delicious discovery. I always buy at least one block of tofu and have experimented more. One of my favorite ways of using it was this pasta bake, but it is just one of many.

 

This time I bought octopus. I have cooked squid and cuttlefish but I am not sure I have ever cooked octopus. I have eaten it at restaurants and I bought a small piece.

 

 

I wasn’t quite sure what to make. I had an idea about a salad but nothing inspired me. In the end I looked through the fridge and got some salmon caviar.

 

As I looked at the ingredients I decided to make an amuse bouche. I wanted something to pull the dish together and made a cauliflower puree with butter, cauliflower, salt and a pinch of crushed chilli.

 

I looked at the octopus and decided to slice it and do a quick char on  high heat.

 

I placed the warm cauliflower puree at the bottom of the plate, then the seared octopus slices. Last I added the salmon caviar and sliced spring onion.

 

 

It was a great way to kick off a meal. The char gave the octopus amazing flavor and I can’t wait to go again and see what other, unknown ingredients I can find and experiment with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed under Allotment/Veg, Amuse bouche, Cauliflower, Chilli, Fish & Seafood, Recipe, Spring onion, Starter · Tagged with octopus, salmon caviar, salmon roe