Slow-cooked Octopus with Blanched Sea Blite or Marsh Samphire Salad
Slow-cooked Octopus with Blanched Sea Blite or Marsh Samphire Salad is a modern British recipe (for a salad of blanched sea blite or samphire served topped with slow-cooked octopus andapricots with cherries in a vinegar and honey dressing. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Slow-cooked Octopus with Blanched Sea Blite or Marsh Samphire Salad.
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Tender octopus, briny sea beans, and sweet-tart pickled fruit come together in this fresh, coastal-inspired salad courtesy of Mill’s Tavern. Serve it with warm focaccia for a light but flavorful bite!
Where to Find Sea Beans & Octopus:
Sea beans (also known as samphire or salicornia) are typically available at specialty grocers, seafood markets, or farmers’ markets during spring and summer. Ask your fishmonger for cleaned octopus, or find it frozen at many Mediterranean or Asian markets.
Ingredients:
For the Slow-Cooked Octopus:
1kg octopus, cleaned
1 small onion, halved
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bay leaf
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 lemon, halved
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
For the Blanched Sea Blite/Samphire:
150g sea blite or marsh samphire, rinsed
Ice water, for shocking
For the Pickled Apricot & Cherry:
4 dried apricots, thinly sliced
80g fresh or dried cherries, halved
120ml white wine vinegar
120ml water
1 tbsp honey
½ tsp salt
For the Salad Assembly:
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp smoked paprika
Fresh lemon juice (from ½ a lemon)
home-made focaccia, for serving
Method:
Begin by slow-cooking the Octopus: In a large pan, combine octopus, onion, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, and lemon halves.
Cover with water and bring to a gentle simmer. Continue cooking over low heat for 60–90 minutes, until the octopus is fully fork-tender.
Remove from heat, let cool slightly in the cooking liquid, then slice into bite-sized pieces.
Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Set aside.
In the meantime, form a quick Pickle from the Apricots and Cherries: In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, water, honey, and salt. Bring to a light simmer.
Combine the sliced apricots and cherries in a bowl and pour over the warmed pickling fruit. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes (or, for a deeper flavour refrigerate for a few hours).
When ready to assemble the dish, bring a pan of water to a boil (no need to salt as the sea blite or marsh samphire are naturally salty). Add the sea blite or samphire and blanch for 30 seconds. Immediately drain and transfer to an ice bath to prevent any further cooking and preserve their colour. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper.
To finish the dish. In a mixing bowl, combine the octopus, sea blite or samphire and the pickled fruit.
Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and toss gently to combine.
Pile on a plate and serve immediately with warm focaccia bread. To be artistic you can assemble the dish with a ring mould, adding the sea beans or samphire to the base and piling the octopus and fruit on top.
