Pulpo Zarandeado Sinaloense

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 8-quart stockpot for the simmer
• •Cast iron comal or heavy skillet for toasting chiles
• •High-powered blender
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Hardwood charcoal grill
• •Zaranda wire basket (optional but traditional)
• •Long-handled tongs and a basting brush

Instructions

1. 1

   Tame the octopus

   Bring a large pot of water to a gentle simmer with the halved onion, halved garlic head, bay leaves, peppercorns, and the salt. Hold the cleaned octopus by the head and dip it into the simmering water three times, lifting it out between each dip. The tentacles will curl tight on themselves. This is the Mazatleca technique called 'asustar al pulpo,' scaring the octopus, and it sets the tentacles into the curled shape that holds up on the grill.

   The wine cork in the simmering water is something the senoras at the Mazatlan mercado swear by. Some say it tenderizes. Some say it is superstition. I throw one in. Costs nothing.
2. 2

   Simmer until tender

   Lower the whole octopus into the pot. Adjust the heat so the water trembles, never boils. A hard boil seizes the muscle and you will be chewing rubber for the rest of the night. Cook for 45 minutes to one hour for a 3-pound octopus, longer if it is bigger. The tip of a paring knife should slide into the thickest part of a tentacle without resistance. Pull the pot off the heat and let the octopus rest in its own broth for 15 more minutes. The residual heat finishes the work.

3. 3

   Toast and soak the chiles

   While the octopus rests, heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the guajillo, ancho, and chipotle moras separately, about 20 to 30 seconds per side. The skins will puff and the kitchen will smell sharp and dark. Watch the chipotle, it burns fastest. Place the toasted chiles in a heatproof bowl and cover with hot tap water, not boiling. Soak for 15 minutes until pliable.

4. 4

   Build the adobo zarandeado

   Drain the soaked chiles. Combine them in a blender with the 6 reserved garlic cloves, orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, oregano, cumin, mayonnaise, mustard, Maggi, and a generous pinch of salt. Blend until completely smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to catch any chile skin. The adobo should be rust-red, glossy, and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste it. It should hit sour, smoky, salty, and faintly sweet, all at once. That balance is the dish.

5. 5

   Butterfly the octopus

   Lift the octopus from the broth and lay it on a cutting board. Save a cup of the cooking liquid. Cut the head from the tentacles and reserve. Slice the crown of tentacles in half through the center so the octopus opens flat like a book. This is the 'zarandeado' cut, the same technique used for pescado zarandeado on Sinaloa's beaches, where fish are split and clamped between metal grills called zarandas.

6. 6

   Marinate

   Place the butterflied octopus in a wide dish. Slather it with two-thirds of the adobo on both sides, working it into every fold of the tentacles. Reserve the remaining adobo for basting and serving. Marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to 4 hours refrigerated. No me vengas con atajos. The flavor needs time to settle into the muscle.

7. 7

   Build the fire

   Light a hardwood charcoal fire and let it burn down until the coals are ash-gray and glowing red underneath. Mangrove or mesquite is what they use along the Pacific coast and the smoke is part of the recipe. If you have a zaranda, the wire basket the dish is named for, oil it well. Otherwise, oil the grill grates heavily. Octopus skin sticks to anything dry.

8. 8

   Grill the octopus

   Lay the octopus tentacle-side down over the coals. You want medium-high heat, not screaming hot. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes until the underside is charred in places and the suckers are crisp. Flip carefully, baste with melted butter and the reserved adobo, and grill 3 to 4 minutes more on the second side. The edges should darken to mahogany and the suckers should crackle when you press them. The octopus is already cooked through; the grill is for char, smoke, and the lacquered finish.

   Baste twice during grilling, but stop basting in the last minute. You want the adobo to set into a sticky lacquer, not stay wet. Wet adobo will not crisp.
9. 9

   Slice and serve at the table

   Move the octopus to a wooden board. Let it rest for 3 minutes. Slice the tentacles into thick rounds on the diagonal, leaving the curl visible on each piece. Pile onto a warm clay platter and spoon a little of the reserved adobo over the top. Serve with warm corn tortillas, cucumber, red onion, avocado, lime wedges, and salsa Huichol on the table. Each guest builds their own taco. Asi se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Buy your octopus already cleaned, with the beak and ink sac removed. Most fishmongers will do this without charge if you ask. Frozen octopus is actually preferable to fresh in this dish. The freeze-thaw cycle breaks down the muscle fibers and gives you a more tender result. The pulperos in Mazatlan freeze their catch on the boats.
• •If you cannot find chile chipotle moras, use chipotle meco or canned chipotles in adobo. Both are compromises. The moras gives the cleanest smoke flavor without the vinegar tang of the canned version. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
• •Hardwood charcoal is non-negotiable. Briquettes leave a chemical taste that ruins the dish. If you can find mangrove or mesquite chunks, even better. The smoke is half the recipe.
• •The mayonnaise in the adobo is not for ceviche-style raw application. It is there because mayonnaise emulsifies the citrus and the chile and helps the adobo cling to the octopus on the grill. It also browns beautifully under high heat. Trust it.

Advance Preparation

• •The octopus can be simmered and butterflied one day ahead. Hold it covered in the refrigerator with a few tablespoons of its cooking broth so it does not dry out.
• •The adobo can be made up to three days ahead and refrigerated. The flavor deepens overnight and the chiles relax into the citrus.
• •Grill the octopus the moment you are ready to serve. The lacquered char does not hold well, and reheated grilled octopus loses the texture that makes the dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 280g)