A Michelin-level Greek-inspired seafood starter featuring wine-braised and charcoal-charred octopus with whipped barrel-aged feta mousse, tomato water pearls, burnt thyme honey, olive ash tuile, compressed cucumber ribbons, and frozen yogurt shards.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs – Spanish octopus (cleaned)
• 1 bottle – Assyrtiko wine (dry Greek white wine)
• 1 – yellow onion (halved)
• 1 – fennel bulb (sliced)
• 4 cloves – garlic
• 2 – bay leaves
• 1 tbsp – coriander seed
• 1 strip – orange peel
• 200g – barrel-aged Greek feta
• 100g – sheep’s milk yogurt
• 80ml – heavy cream
• 2 sheets – gelatin
• 6 – heirloom tomatoes (for clarified tomato water)
• 150g – thyme honey
• 100g – Kalamata olives
• 1 – English cucumber (ribboned)
• 200g – Greek yogurt (for frozen shards)
• To finish – bottarga (finely shaved)
• To finish – bronze fennel fronds
• To finish – micro oregano
• TO finish – smoked olive oil

Speciality Items:

• Cold Smoke Gun Need it? Click here to start cooking
• Vacuum Chamber Sealer Need it? Click here to start cooking
• Tabletop Grill Need it? Click here to start cooking
• Gourmet Whip Siphon Need it? Click here to start cooking
• Spoon Set Need it? Click here to start cooking
• Infrared Thermometer Need it? Click here to start cooking
• Stoneware Smoke Cloche Need it? Click here to start cooking
• Plates perfect for this dish Need it? Click here to start cooking

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Steps:

1. Combine Assyrtiko wine, onion, fennel, garlic, bay leaves, coriander seed, and orange peel in a rondeau. Add octopus and simmer gently for 90 minutes until tender.
2. Cool octopus in braising liquid overnight. Portion tentacles and vacuum seal with olive oil and smoked sea salt.
3. Cold smoke the octopus using olive wood chips for 8 minutes.
4. Char octopus over binchotan charcoal at very high heat until blistered and caramelized.
5. Prepare feta mousse by blending feta, yogurt, lemon zest, and white pepper until smooth.
6. Warm cream and dissolve bloomed gelatin into it. Fold into feta mixture and transfer to ISI siphon with two cartridges. Chill for 2 hours.
7. Clarify tomato water overnight through cheesecloth. Prepare tomato pearls using calcium lactate and sodium alginate spherification.
8. Reduce thyme honey with sherry vinegar and chili flakes until lightly caramelized.
9. Dehydrate Kalamata olives until brittle, lightly torch, blend into ash, and form thin olive ash tuiles before baking until crisp.
10. Vacuum compress cucumber ribbons with rice vinegar, dill stems, and sea salt.
11. Spread seasoned Greek yogurt thinly on an anti-griddle and freeze instantly. Break into irregular shards.
12. Plate feta mousse asymmetrically, arrange charred octopus, cucumber ribbons, yogurt shards, tomato pearls, and olive ash tuile artistically.
13. Finish with burnt honey glaze, smoked olive oil, shaved bottarga, fennel fronds, and micro oregano.
14. Serve under a smoke cloche for dramatic aromatic presentation.

Nuggget Nuggget: One Ask. One Tap. Done

Nuggget Nuggget: One Ask. One Tap. Done