Octopus with ‘Nduja Dressing

Cook Time 1 hour

Serves 4

Ingredients

For The Octopus

400–500g large octopus tentacles

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small bay leaf

2 sprigs of thyme

2 black peppercorns

Juice of ½ lemon

Salt, to taste

For The ’Nduja Dressing

200ml olive oil

125g ’Nduja *

2 tbsp sherry vinegar

8 anchovy fillets in their oil

* Note: ’Nduja is a spreadable salami available from select butchers and Italian smallgoods producers – look for ’Nduja with bright red colouring for the best result

Method

Preheat the oven to 130°C.

Wash the octopus tentacles with warm water to remove any excess slime and any grit that may be stuck in the suckers. Put the tentacles in an ovenproof dish with olive oil, a bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns, and cover tightly with foil or a lid. Cook in the oven for 25–35 minutes – the cooking time will depend on the size of your tentacles and your preferred texture.

After 25 minutes, uncover the dish – the octopus will have released a lot of its juices; normally it loses over half its initial weight – and cut a small piece from the thicker part of the tentacle to try. If it’s almost cooked to your liking, cover and leave to rest in its juices for another 10–15 minutes. Remove the octopus from the dish, discarding the juices and spices, and set aside.

 To make the dressing, blend all ingredients until smooth. You may need to add some water to get the right consistency.

 To chargrill the octopus, heat a barbecue or griddle pan to medium-high heat and char the octopus tentacles for 1–2 minutes on each side. Cut each tentacle into 3–4 pieces, drizzle with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and sea salt

 To serve, spread the ’Nduja over the plates and arrange the octopus over the top.