Chopped Champion Recipe: Baby Octopus with Lime Pickle, Scallions and Swiss Chard
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 11:10AM On August 2nd, I competed on Food Network's show "Chopped!" And I won! For the first round, the mystery basket contained Baby Octopus, a wildly pungent Indian condiment called Lime Pickle, Tokyo Scallion and Swiss Chard.
I had never cooked with Baby Octopus before Chopped. And if you, like me, are not a big Octopus fan, you could easily substitute this with another seafood--scallops or clams would be particularly yummy. If you're not into lime pickle either, you could swap it out for a whole lot of lemon and/or lime juice and zest, and maybe even some cornichons to give it a little more bite.
The judges had issues with the fact that the dish didn't have enough texture. Ted Allen suggested to me that this would be great on a crostini--a great solution. You can serve the bread on the side, or just mix everything together and put in on top.
Warning: I have not made this recipe since I created it on Chopped! So it is an untested recipe. Let me know if I missed something or if this is totally awful!
BABY OCTOPUS WITH LIME PICKLE, SCALLIONS AND SWISS CHARD
Serves 4
1/2 lb cleaned Baby octopus, chopped into small-ish pieces
1/4 cup chopped lime pickle (include the sauce and whole bits of the pickle)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbs. minced red onion
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 small bunch swiss chard, cleaned, ribs removed, and roughly chopped
3 baby red skinned potatoes, cut into small dice
1/2 cup chicken stock
White wine vinegar, to taste
Salt and Pepper
1 tbs. butter
1 baguette, cut into thick slices and fried in butter and olive oil
Boil the potatoes until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Combine the octopus with the lime pickle, about 1/4 cup of the olive oil and the red onion. Season with salt and pepper and set aside for at least 10 minutes (up to 30 min) to marinate.
Meanwhile, heat a small pan up with 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs. of the remaining olive oil. Toss in the cooked, diced potatoes and cook for about 5-10 minutes until browned and crispy. Remove potatoes and set aside. Return pan to heat and add 2 tbs. olive oil. Add the sliced scallion, saute for about 1 minute and then add the swiss chard. Saute for about 1 minute, then add chicken stock and simmer for about 5 minutes. Drizzle with white wine vinegar to taste and set aside.
Place a large saute pan over medium high heat. When hot, add the octopus mixture and saute, stirring constantly, for about 1 1/2 minutes. Taste the octopus to see if it is done--it should be tender, just cooked through. Be careful not to overcook it; it can quickly become tough and rubbery. When the octopus is done, add the potatoes and mix to combine.
Place the swiss chard on a plate (or crostini) and top with the octopus mixture. Sprinkle with some fresh herbs, if you've got them, and some crunchy sea salt.
Baby Octopus, Chopped Champion, Lime Pickle, Scallions, Swiss Chard, Ted Allen in Recipes 
Reader Comments (5)
http://www.ferragamosaleshoes.com/