OCTOPUS WITH
RADICCHIO &
MACADAMIA
SERVES 4
Octopus can be a challenge to grill as all of its
strength and muscle structure is distributed
throughout its eight arms, making it quite
firm and rubbery. Like its cephalopod cousin,
the squid, octopus is either best cooked
very quickly or very slowly and should be
tenderised before cooking – it is said that the
Greeks would traditionally beat octopus 40
times on a rock.
At the restaurant, we use a medium octopus
from the Roaring Forties waters of the Bass
Strait. They are captured using a specially
designed pot and then tenderised. The intense
heat of the embers cooks the octopus really
quickly, maintaining its tenderness. Here,
cooking over a wood fire imbues octopus with
a smoky char, complemented by the bittersweet
radicchio and enriched with buttery guanciale
and the creamy texture of macadamia which,
when finely shaved, looks like parmesan.
WOOD TYPE: CHERRY
HEAT: INTENSE EMBERS
1 medium octopus, tenderised
1 head radicchio treviso, quartered*
60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
20 ml aged red-wine vinegar
sea salt
zest of ½ orange
12 wafer-thin slices guanciale (cured pork jowl)
100 g fresh macadamias, preferably shaved finely
on a mandoline
12 agretti sprigs
*Radicchio treviso has a less bitter profile than
normal radicchio. If using normal radicchio, you
may wish to use a sweeter vinegar, such as Pedro
Ximénez vinegar, instead of aged red-wine vinegar.
Prepare your embers and arrange a grill cooling
rack directly on top.
Prepare the octopus. Remove the tentacles from
the body, rinse under running water, and pat dry
with a clean cloth.
Toss the radicchio with half of the olive oil and
vinegar, and grill over the embers for 2 minutes on
each side.
Grill the octopus over the embers for 2 minutes on
each side, turning once. Season with sea salt and
remove from the heat.
Dress the radicchio and octopus with the remaining
olive oil and vinegar, and the orange zest.
Place the guanciale on a metal tray 20
centimetres above the embers and gently warm
until translucent.
Slice each tentacle into 4 pieces and place
on a serving plate among the leaves of
charred radicchio.
Finish with strips of warm guanciale, pour over
the combined juices and scatter with the shaved
macadamias and agretti sprigs.