Octopus, lobster and scallop wontons with cherries and pink fir potatoes
A seafood supper with a difference, this stunning lobster recipe from Steven Smith is a delicate preparation of rich, full flavours, with the tang of the cherries contrasting gloriously with the succulent octopus and creamy wonton filling. The chef finishes this dish with shellfish oil in his restaurant, but for the home cook rapeseed oil works perfectly well and is much more easy to come by. In order to ensure the octopus is tender it should be frozen the day before you begin cooking, so remember to plan ahead when preparing this recipe.
First published in 2015
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Octopus
- 1.25kg octopus, frozen 1 day prior to cooking
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 500ml of brown chicken stock
- 100ml of brandy
- black pepper
- salt
Pink fir potatoes
- 4 pink fir potatoes, large
- 1 sheet of nori seaweed
- 250g of salted butter
Cherries
- 12 cherries, large, pitted
- 25ml of white balsamic vinegar
To plate
- 4 oyster leaves
- 50g of samphire
- 40ml of rapeseed oil
- yuzu juice
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Piping bag and nozzle
- Food processor or blender
- Deep fat fryer
- Atomiser
- Chamber sealer
- Water bath
- Vacuum bags
Method
1
Preheat a water bath to 72°C
2
Begin by preparing the octopus. Cut the tentacles just below the eyes and trim the web between the tentacles, leaving you with 8 individual tentacles. Retain the head for the sauce and generously salt the tentacles, washing them thoroughly in salt water until clean. Leave to drain on a towel until dry
- 1.25kg octopus
3
Transfer the octopus to a vacuum bag and add the chicken stock, thyme and bay leaves. Cook in a water bath for 5 hours
- 500ml of brown chicken stock
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
4
Meanwhile, prepare the filling for the wontons. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the lobster for 2 minutes, refreshing immediately in iced water. Once cold remove the meat from the lobster and dice it into 0.5cm pieces, reserving the shell for the sauce
- 1 lobster
5
Blend the scallops in a food processor until smooth, then add the cream in small batches until fully incorporated. Season with salt and fold through the lobster pieces. Put the mixture into a piping bag and reserve in the fridge. This mixture will make more than 8 wontons, but any leftovers can be frozen
6
Remove the cooked octopus from the bag, reserving the juices to make the sauce. Dry the octopus on a kitchen towel and, using the towel, carefully rub away the membrane and the suckers along the tentacle leaving a smooth piece of octopus. Set aside, ready to reheat before serving
7
To make the sauce, chop the octopus head and blitz the lobster shell in a food processor until both are in very small pieces. Heat a saucepan over a high heat with a little oil and fry both until caramelised and golden, then deglaze the pan with the brandy and reduce by ¾
- 100ml of brandy
8
Add the octopus juices to the pan, stir well and cook for 30 minutes. Strain the mixture through a sieve, then return to the pan and reduce to a thick sauce consistency
9
To make the wontons, pipe a small amount of the scallop and lobster mix into the center of a wonton wrapper and moisten the edges with a little water. Fold the wrapper from one corner to the opposite to form a triangle and seal the edges, pushing out any air as you go. Pick up the wonton and fold the left point around the right point to form a tortellini shape. Repeat this process to make 8 wontons in total. Leave to air dry for around 20 minutes
- 1 packet wonton wrappers
10
For the pink fir potatoes, boil the potatoes in salted boiling water until tender. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a small saucepan until browned, leave to cool slightly and transfer to a blender with the nori seaweed. Blend the butter and nori until smooth and, once the potatoes have cooked, transfer both to a vacuum bag. The potatoes can be reheated in the bag just before serving
- 4 pink fir potatoes, large
- 1 sheet of nori seaweed
- 250g of salted butter
11
Place the cherries in a small pan and cover with the white balsamic vinegar. Just before serving warm the cherries very gently
- 12 cherries, large, pitted
- 25ml of white balsamic vinegar
12
Ahead of serving gently reheat the seafood sauce in a pan. Add the octopus tentacles to the pan and reheat in the sauce until warmed through. Meanwhile, deep fry the wontons at 180°C for 1-2 minutes until golden brown and crispy
13
To serve, remove the potatoes from the bag and place one on each plate. Arrange two pieces of octopus on each plate followed by two wontons and three warm cherries. Drizzle over the sauce and rapeseed oil, then garnish with oyster leaves and samphire. To finish, put the yuzu juice into an atomiser and spray over the plated dish
- 40ml of rapeseed oil
- 4 oyster leaves
- 50g of samphire
- yuzu juice
First published in 2015
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