Hugo Gamino's Octopus Aguachile Tostadas

Directions

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1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and salt generously as you would pasta water.

2. Add a cup of vinegar, two lemons sliced in half (squeeze into the water and throw in with their rinds), one halved head of garlic (reserve the additional whole cloves), peppercorn, fresh herbs and bay leaves.

3. Place octopus in pot and cook until it reaches a purple hue and has a nice firmness (15-30 min).

4. Once cooked, remove and drop in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. 

5. Heat a pan on medium high and add olive oil.

6. Add the cooled octopus to the hot pan and sear until you get a nice char on all sides.

7. Remove from heat and slice to your desired thickness (thinner slices create a nice bite). Season with salt, pepper, and the juice of one lime.

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1. On a hot comal or pan, char the serrano peppers, 4-5 cloves garlic, tomatillos, and dried chile de arbol.

2. Once charred, add the garlic to a molcajete and sprinkle with kosher salt. Grind to a paste, then add serrano peppers and grind. Next, add the tomatillo and grind to a rustic puree.

3. Finely chop cilantro and add it to the molcajete. Add juice of two limes and season to taste. Feel free to add additional salt and/or the juice of another lime. 

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1. Peel cucumber and cut into half-moons. Cut one large red onion into thin slices. Add cucumber and onions to the salsa and mix. If your molcajete is large enough, add in the octopus and mix. If not, transfer salsa and vegetables to a large bowl, add the octopus, and mix.

2. In a saucepan, toast your pine nuts until golden brown (careful not to burn!). Garnish the aguachile with toasted pine nuts.

3. Serve the aguachile in a molcajete or bowl with tostadas.