Summer memories
Making this dish is no easy feat. It can be a two-day affair, and it’s worth every single second. Whole octopuses are first blanched and then slowly braised in a low-temperature oven in white wine, fennel, onions, carrots, garlic, crushed red pepper and coriander until fork tender. After braising till tender for about an hour and a half, the octopus is rinsed under warm water and quickly chilled.
When the braised octopus is completely chilled, the tentacles are removed by cutting them very close to the head to retain as much meat as possible. Strangers & Saints discards the head. But it can be used if you clean it by turning it inside out, removing the innards and its two beaks. Then proceed with the same preparation as the tentacles. The meat is marinated in the ras el hanout marinade for several hours or overnight. The octopus is finished by broiling until crispy-tender.
Can you do this at home? Yes. You’ll find very good quality, cleaned, frozen octopus at seafood stores and online. (Almost all octopus is frozen, as it spoils very quickly.) Most commonly, you’ll find 2- to 4-pound whole octopuses, and in some instances, you can find cleaned, frozen tentacles.
If octopus is not your thing, the marinade works very well with shrimp or scallops. Simply marinate raw shrimp or raw scallops for at least an hour and up to four hours before broiling. Serve them atop the chickpea mash, and enjoy as you would the octopus.
If you decide to make the octopus, I encourage you to braise and marinate it the day before you plan to serve it; it tastes so much better this way.