Octopus with a Squid Ink Beurre Noir

A twist on a traditional beurre blanc, the addition of squid ink giving the sauce a beautiful black colour.

📝 Ingredients

• 600 g octopus tentacles, cleaned
• 2⁄5 C (100 ml) red wine
• black peppercorns
• 1 lemon, cut in half and seeds removed
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 8 Tbsp (120 ml) olive oil
• 100 g onion, sliced
• 200 g fennel
• 1 chilli
• 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
• 1 cork, optional
• 1 chilli, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) black pepper
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
• zest of 1/2 a lemon
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
• 1/2 C (125 ml) white wine
• 2-3 Tbsp (30-45 ml) white wine vinegar
• 80 g onion, finely chopped
• 1 star anise, gently crushed
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) cream
• 2 sachets (10 g) squid ink
• 200 g unsalted butter, chilled
• 1 tsp (5 ml) lemon juice

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Place the octopus, wine, peppercorns, lemon, bay leaf, garlic, onion, whole chilli, fennel (and cork if using) into a large saucepan.
2. 2Cover with water and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook until tender; check by inserting the tip of a knife into the thickest part. Cooking can take anything from forty minutes to just over an hour. Allow to cool in the cooking liquid and then remove the skin. Cut into pieces and set aside.
3. 3Mix all of the marinade ingredients together. Cut the tentacles into 2 cm thick slices and toss in the marinade to coat.
4. 4Place into a hot pan or griddle and cook until well caramelised, taking care not to overcook.
5. 5Place the wine, vinegar, onion, and star anise into a saucepan and cook until reduced. Once reduced by more than half, add the cream and squid ink and continue to cook until the liquid has reduced. Strain the mixture through a very fine sieve; this should yield about two tablespoons of liquid.
6. 6Place this liquid back onto the heat and whisk in the butter and lemon juice until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste.
7. 7To serve, place the octopus pieces on the serving dishes, drizzle with the squid ink beurre noir and serve.