Thinly Sliced Braised Octopus…

It looked even more stunning on the plate than these pictures suggest. Barely a couple of millimeters thin, the mesmerizing pattern of tentacles sliced in cross-sections was the basis for three salads I made a few minutes later. While this was all relatively easy, it was a bit time consuming and I realize not everyone may have a small electric slicer at home, so you may have to cut the octopus in slightly thicker slices. But the look and feel I was striving to achieve was definitely met in full.

The key came from reading this post, and from there it was easy peasy. (If you can’t go to the specific link, it’s because it has greek characters in the link, so just search for the March 9th 2010 post in that website, thanks.) Make the braised octopus tentacles, in my earlier post, here. Then wrap it up tightly in some plastic wrap, trying to get the shape of a salami, and twist the ends tightly…

…tie the “salami” with kitchen twine as you might a roast and when it it is all snug and well-formed, stick it in the fridge for a day or two to set up.

Take the octopus roll out of the fridge, carefully peel back the plastic wrap, and either cut it carefully by hand with a sharp knife, or pass it through a home slicer like you might ham or real salami. Lay the cross sections out on a plate… then garnish as you wish. I realize many of you are possibly looking at this post with a big yawn in progress, but I was extremely happy to get to this point… :)