Octopus and Stone Fruit Kinilaw

Coconut Milk Ginataan, Charred Onion Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Honey Patis, Calamansi-Chile Sorbet

Chef Aaron Escalada of Abacá | San Francisco
Yield: 6-8 servings

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Adapted by StarChefs | december 2022

INGREDIENTS:

Calamansi-Chile Sorbet:
500 grams sugar
85 grams glucose
1 tablespoon sorbet stabilizer
1225 grams Calamansi purée
1 Thai chile

Honey Patis:
300 grams honey
75 grams fish sauce
5 grams gochugaru chile flakes
20 grams yuzu juice

Octopus:
One 8-pound octopus

Coconut Milk Ginataan:
170 grams chopped ginger
1200 grams coconut milk
90 grams fish sauce

Charred Onion Oil:
1 red onion
200 grams neutral oil
20 grams activated charcoal
5 grams salt

Green Lemongrass Oil
300 grams parsley
300 grams mint
350 grams lemongrass
1250 grams neutral oil
1 jalapeño
10 grams salt

Stone Fruit:
60 grams mirin
100 grams fish sauce
60 grams rice vinegar
20 grams sugar
4 grams fresh calamansi juice
1 yellow nectarine, small diced
1 pluot, diced
1 white peach, small diced
1 Italian plum, small diced
50 grams brunoise red onion
5 grams thinly sliced serrano chile
10 grams julienned ginger
2 rakkyo, quartered

To Assemble and Serve:
Frying oil
Japanese potato starch
Dill flowers
Cilantro flowers

METHOD:

For the Calamansi-Chile Sorbet:
In a Vitamix blender, combine the sugar, glucose, sorbet stabilizer, and 640 grams water. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Strain through a chinois and let cool. Set aside. In a Vitamix Blender, combine calamansi, Thai chile, and 500 grams water. Transfer to a large saucepot over medium heat and gently warm. Strain through a chinois and let cool. In a large mixing bowl, combine both cooled mixtures. Transfer to a Pacojet canister and freeze. Spin sorbet in Pacojet. Transfer to a nonreactive container and freeze.

For the Honey Patis:
In a medium saucepot over medium-high heat, bring the honey, fish sauce, chile, and 25 grams water to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool. Add yuzu juice and set aside.

For the Octopus Tentacles:
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring salted water to a boil. Reduce heat and add octopus. Simmer 1 hour, or until octopus is tender and cooked through. Remove from heat and immediately remove tentacles from body. Skewer half of the tentacles to ensure tentacles don’t curl while cooling. Reserve remaining half of tentacles separately. 

For the Coconut Milk Ginataan:
In a Vitamix blender, add chopped ginger and purée until smooth. Strain through a chinois and set aside. In a small saucepot over medium-high heat, combine puréed ginger and all remaining ingredients. Cook until slightly thickened and flavors are balanced and infused. Strain through a chinois into a non-reactive container and reserve.

For the Charred Onion Oil:
Prepare and heat a grill. Char onion on all sides. Transfer to a Vitamix blender. Add oil, charcoal, and salt and blend on high speed. Strain through a chinois into a non-reactive container and reserve.

For the Green Lemongrass Oil:
In a Vitamix blender, combine all ingredients until the mixture heats and begins to steam. Strain through a chinois and let cool.

For the Stone Fruit:
In a large bowl, combine mirin, fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, and Calamansi juice. Stir to combine. Add all remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature 10 minutes. 

To Assemble and Serve:
Heat and prepare a grill. In a fryer, heat oil to 400°F. Remove Octopus Tentacles from skewers and thinly slice. In a bowl, mix to combine potato starch and water to create a dredge. In a separate bowl, combine sliced Octopus Tentacles and enough potato starch slurry to coat. Add to oil and fry until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined sheet tray and let cool. Brush remaining half of reserved Octopus Tentacles with Honey Patis and grill over high heat. Let cool then cut into 1-inch pieces. In a large bowl, combine Coconut Milk Ginataan, Lemongrass Oil, and Charred Onion Oil. Stir to combine and transfer to a serving bowl. In a separate bowl, combine grilled Octopus Tentacles and Stone Fruit Salad. Toss to combine. On a serving plate, arrange 3 fried Octopus Tentacles on one side of the plate. On the other side, arrange Stone Fruit and Grilled Octopus mixture in a crescent shape, alternating the fruits and aromatics. Top with a quenelle of Calamansi-Chile Sorbet and garnish with dill and cilantro flowers. Serve with chilled Coconut Milk Ginataan. 

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