5. Octopus a la plancha at Ibiza
People who love tentacles will love Chef Charles Clark's Spanish octopus dish, the octopus a la plancha. His Spanish-style preparation of the imported, Mediterranean octopus is a big hit among Latin Americans in town, who Clark claims will come to his restaurant just for his octopus. To prepare it, the octopus is braised overnight, then finished on the grill with slight char, and topped with slivers of crispy Spanish chorizo slices and a salsa verde. The result is octopus that is tender with a slight chew, a smoky crust and the deep flavors of the sea.
4. Octopus carpaccio at La Fisheria.
It's a shame that his pulpo con patatas is no longer available, but Chef Aquiles Chavez is still doing some pretty awesome pulpo. He boils it until it's soft, then marinates it in chimichurri and other spices. Chavez presses the pulpo together into a roll, freezes it, then thinly slices it up in rounds before serving it with green salad and fried onions. A red wine oregano vinaigrette, a dusting of chamoy and a few squeezes of lemon finish off this light and beautiful pulpo carpaccio, generously plated so that two or three people can share.
3. Pulpo al carbon at Hugo's
If you love octopus and tacos, you'll love Hugo's pulpo al carbon. Served in a small metal skillet, the grilled octopus is chopped, then tossed with onions and peppers, accompanied by small blue corn tortillas and a spicy chipotle tomatillo salsa. It's technically available on the dinner menu as an entremeses, or appetizer, but if you ask nicely enough, they may even serve this to you at lunch. As one person described it to me recently, "Pulpo al carbon at Hugo's is the sh*t!"
2. Octopus crudo at Kata Robata
The pure white carpaccio-like pieces of this octopus crudo at Kata Robata are so thin that when you try to pick a piece up with your chopsticks, it bunches up in the same way a wet piece of paper would. It's served with nothing more than Hawaiian volcanic salt, olive oil and sweet pickled shimeji mushrooms with micro cilantro, and the beauty and simplicity of this dish are undeniable. Pure ingredients, perfect execution, delicious through and through.
1. Grilled octopus at Da Marco
There can be no doubt about the supremacy of Da Marco's Mediterranean grilled octopus. It bursts with juices when you cut into it. The outer shell is crisped almost as if it had been deep fried in batter, when in fact it's just the crispy perfection of the octopus's natural skin. The seasoning is restrained, just a bit of salt and pepper with a squeeze of lemon. Take one bite, and it's as if you've been transported to a coastal town in Italy. It's served with a small salad of arugula, fennel and tangy-sweet orange wedges tossed in a light vinaigrette, and the acidity in the salad marries well with the octopus's deep, salty flavors of the ocean.
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