Octopus in Citrus & Olive oil

hey guys, today I am going to share with you how I make pickled octopus in citrus olive oil!

Living in Cape Town South Africa really has its benefits!
We are truly blessed with some of the most breathtaking natural scenery on the tip of the African continent where two oceans collide and a mountain rises defiantly like a flat topped cornerstone, anchoring the mother city. The abundant supply of fresh seafood from the up-welling of nutrient rich cold water currents on the south-west coast of our country makes this a sea-food lovers paradise!
I get my "occy", as it is affectionately known in my household, from a local Portuguese fisherman who can trace his roots in South Africa back to the late 1800's. A proud fisherman indeed!
I prefer my occy small. 1 to 1.5 kg caught on the shore as the deep see caught has less flavor for me personally. These bad boys were caught in lobster traps and made their way to our table the very same afternoon!

First clean your fish thoroughly! The suckers are particularly sandy...
Clean out the head of all its contents and cut out the beak and eyes of the octopus. Rinse under running water till clean.
I used 3 x octopus for this recipe

In a large pot over medium heat add:
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 bay-leaf till fragrant
Working quickly add:
juice of 1 orange
juice of 1 lemon
juice of one lime
also add in the whole fruits after juicing
3 liters of fresh water
2 table spoons apple cider vinnegar
5 table spoons sea salt
simmer over low heat till just above boiling point

Next start by holding the octopus by its "neck" between the head and tentacles and in an "dunking" fashion drop and lift the tentacles into the simmering citrus broth.

Note how beautiful the "curls" are! This curling process also helps to tenderize the tentacles.

Make sure our octopus is totally submerged and simmer just below boiling point for 90 min till tender when poked with a knife.

Remove the pot from the heat and let the octopus rest in the cooling broth for 15 min.

In a large bowl combine:
Zest of:
1 lemon
1 orange
1 lime
Juice of:
1 lemon
1 orange
1 lime
2 table spoons of fennel tips roughly pulled from their stalks
5 table spoons of sea salt (I use Maldon Salt)
1 table spoon ground black pepper
1 hot chili thinly sliced
1 large red onion diced fairly small
1 liter good olive oil
2 cups of the octopus citrus broth

Remove the octopus from the broth and let cool for a couple of minutes till ready to handle with out burning your hands.

Cut the fish in half with four tentacles on each half as this makes it easier to handle.
Cut the tentacles off the body one by one and proceed to cut into bite size pieces.
I like to leave the curled tips whole for a tasty treat that looks awesome!

Once you have your octopus cut into the right size, combine with pickling oil and mix thoroughly.

Transfer to a glass bowl and keep refrigerated.
Use within 14 days.

I also like to preserve some occy for those special moments when you need a killer dish and no time to make one!