Hugo Gamino's Octopus Aguachile Tostadas

August 14, 2023

Phoenix-based Hugo Gamino, Masienda's August Chef en Residencia, is a chef and former fashion designer who tells stories through food. He reconnects to his roots by applying classical techniques to the foods he grew up eating.

His riff on classic aguachile uses cooked octopus (don't be afraid! It's not that different from cooking pasta!) and a spicy salsa verde ground by hand in a molcajete.

Garnished with lots of fresh vegetables and creamy pine nuts, this aguachile is delicious served over tostadas. Hugo made fresh blue corn tortillas (humblebrag on his part: they puffed every time) and allowed them to toast further on the comal until crunchy, but you can use storebought tostadas or make your own from leftover tortillas.

Note: if you're using frozen octopus, let it thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking.

Octopus Aguachile

Hugo Gamino

Rated 4.0 stars by 25 users

Ingredients

1 octopus
Kosher salt
2 large lemons
1 cup white vinegar
1 head of garlic (sliced in half) plus 4-5 additional whole cloves
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
A few sprigs rosemary
A few sprigs thyme
A few sprigs dill
2 bay leaves
4 limes
Olive oil
2 serrano peppers
2 dried chiles de árbol
1 bunch cilantro
2 Persian or English cucumbers
1 large red onion
¼ cup pine nuts
Tostadas (homemade or storebought)

Directions

Prepare octopus

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and salt generously as you would pasta water.
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.
Place octopus in pot and cook until it reaches a purple hue and has a nice firmness (15-30 min).
Once cooked, remove and drop in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
Heat a pan on medium high and add olive oil.
Add the cooled octopus to the hot pan and sear until you get a nice char on all sides.
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.

Make the salsa

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

Assemble the aguachile

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.
In a saucepan, toast your pine nuts until golden brown (careful not to burn!). Garnish the aguachile with toasted pine nuts.
Serve the aguachile in a molcajete or bowl with tostadas.