Portuguese Octopus
Ingrediants
Calamares
- Vegetable Oil for deep Frying
- 250g Plain Flour
- .5tsp Cayenne Pepper
- .5tsp Spanish Paprika
- .5tsp Salt
- 500 g Octopus
- 2 ea eggs beaten
Lemon and Garlic Mayo
- 200ml Mayo
- 1ea Chop garlic clove
- 1ea Juiced lemon
Method
- For the Octopus, firstly steam the whole octopus for about 45 minutes, depending on the size of the octopus. All this to cool before cutting away the arms. Cut each arm into long thin strips ready for the tempura. The body can be used but is a little stronger in both texture and flavour.
- Place enough oil in a wok, large saucepan or deep-fat fryer to come halfway up the pan. Place over a medium heat. If you're using a deep-fat fryer or have a thermometer, heat the oil to 180C/350F. If not, to check the oil is at the right temperature, drop a 2-3cm/¾-1¼in cube of bread into the hot oil. It should become golden and crispy in 1 minute.
- While the oil is heating, place the flour, cayenne, paprika and salt in a large sandwich bag. Drop in the octopus and shake around to coat evenly. This may need to be done in two batches, depending on the size of the bag.
- Dip the floured octopus into the beaten egg and then carefully drop into the hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes until golden. Remove from the oil and briefly drain on kitchen paper before serving.
- ( this dish is much better with a very crisp tempura but it is difficult to achieve at home, this recipe will be easier to manage)
- For sauce simply blend the mayo, lemon juice and garlic together.
- ENJOY
