Octopus Carpaccio How to make

I learned a fascinating thing today. I’ve been wanting to make an octopus carpaccio with a black olive sauce I once had from a Peruvian chef at a conference but could not figure out how to slice the octopus into a paper-thin circle so I called on my new friend Fernando of Don Fernando in Lima. He instructed me to cook the octopus and put it in a smallish bowl, weigh it down and refrigerate. Evidently it releases a very thick gel that makes it stick together and can even be sliced on a meat slicer!

As you can see above, my first  attempt at mastering the technique was not completely successful.  What I did wrong:  I did not put the octopus in a small enough container. It should have been really tight and I should have wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap and then weighed it down.  But still I was able to make some paper-thin slices.

For the sauce:

3/4 cup mayonnaise

2 – 3 tablespoons black olive tapanade

1 teaspoon white vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white or black pepper

Mix all ingredients together.