Seafood Tostada
- Level: Advanced
- Yield: 4 servings
- Total: 2 hr 20 min (includes cooling time)
- Active: 1 hr 25 min
Ingredients
Seafood:
1/2 pound octopus legs, cleaned
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves
3 pieces lemon peel
1/2 pound 16/20 shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1/4 pound cleaned calamari tubes and tentacles, cut 1-inch-thick
Pickled Chiles:
1 cup distilled white vinegar
6 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 Fresno chile, sliced thinly
1 jalapeno chile, sliced thinly
1 serrano chile, sliced thinly
Tostadas:
2 1/2 cups vegetable oil
Eight 3-inch store-bought heirloom corn tostadas
For Plating:
1 Persian cucumber, sliced thinly
4 radishes, sliced thinly
Juice of 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (reserve 6 leaves for garnish)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Special equipment:
a pressure cooker; a deep-frying thermometer- For the seafood: Place the octopus in a pressure cooker and cover with water by 4 inches. Add the salt, 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 sprigs thyme and 1 clove garlic. Lock the lid according to the manufacturer's instructions and pressure cook for 40 minutes. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for releasing the pressure. Drain, let cool and slice 1-inch thick.
- Meanwhile, place the remaining 3 cups extra-virgin olive oil in 8-quart saucepot with the lemon peels, remaining 3 sprigs thyme and 1 garlic clove. Heat to 190 degrees F. Poach the shrimp in the oil until cooked through, about 3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Poach the calamari in the oil until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to another bowl and allow the shrimp and calamari to cool in the fridge.
- For the pickled chiles: Bring the vinegar to a boil in a saucepot with the peppercorns and bay leaf. Turn off the heat and let cool. Pour over the chiles in a bowl and allow to pickle for 20 minutes.
- For the tostadas: Clip a deep-frying thermometer to a large, heavy-bottomed skillet. Heat the vegetable oil to 375 degrees F. Fry tostadas until golden, 1 to 2 minutes each. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels to cool.
- For plating: Add all the chilled seafood, chiles, cucumber, radish, lime juice and chopped cilantro in a large bowl and mix together. Place a large scoop of seafood on a tostada, then garnish with cilantro leaves and drizzle with the oil. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 7 more tostadas.