Slow braise an octopus...ok...and then, what do you do with it? Braise it a second time with tomatoes and potatoes????Few chefs could boast octopus as part of their repertoire until recently. Jimmy's No. 43 has a great new octopus appetizer: Octopus Confit en Papillote, with mushrooms, grapefruit, and sesame. Tender, slow braised octopus, in a tidy parcel with earthy mushrooms, citrusy grapefruit, and "umami" providing sesame. Frank Bruni used the term "umami" this week in the Times' dining section to describe sesame. The Tasting Room's Collin Alveras also considers "umami" to be the missing taste link. In addition to salty, sweet, bitter, and sour there is 'umami'.
Chef Phillip Kirschen Clark should call this octopus dish "Octopus Umami".
Read this link to an article from the archives of The Gothamist about a Brooklyn seafood vendor who specializes in octopus. Eight Arms to Braise, Then Grill.
