Grilled Octopus with a Green Pawpaw Salad

Name: Grilled Octopus with a Green Pawpaw Salad
Yield: Serves between six and four as a shared starter
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons shredded coriander leaves; 1 quantity Nam Jim; 6 red shallots, thinly sliced; 150 g shredded green pawpaw; 2 tablespoons shredded mint leaves; 3 tablespoons roasted and crushed peanuts; 250 g whole octopus; peanut oil for cooking; 1 pomelo, peeled and filleted into segments

Preparation info

Serves between
six and four
as a shared starter

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Rockpool

By Neil Perry

Published 1998

About

Green pawpaw is available in Chinatown and lends texture and structure to many Thai salads. The octopus is best when barbecued, tossed through with the pawpaw and served hot. The heat from the chilli in the dressing and from the warm octopus give an interesting mouth feel.

Ingredients

250 g whole octopus
peanut oil for cooking
150 g shredded green pawpaw

Asia
China
Fish course
Starter
Pescatarian
Gluten-free

Method

Split the octopus down the back of the head and scrape out the gut and ink sac. Pull out the hard beak. Remove the head and cut the legs into pairs, and marinate in the peanut oil.

Heat up a barbecue or a grill to high and add the octopus. Turn after about 3 minutes and cook for another 3 minutes. You can also sauté the octopus in a wok over high heat. Remove the octopus and put in a bo