Ingredients

• 2 bunches fresh coriander
• 1 handful parsley
• 1 spring onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 250ml/9fl oz olive oil
• preferably Arbequina
• plus extra for shallow frying and drizzling
• 75ml/5 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp ground cayenne
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 x 2–3kg/5-7lb double-sucker octopus
• cleaned and left whole
• beak and eyes removed
• ½ onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 500g/1lb 2oz new potatoes
• 4 shallots
• roughly chopped
• 250g/9oz txistorra
• or other cured sausage
• cut into 4cm/1½in cubes
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• vegetable oil
• for deep frying
• 2 Jerusalem artichokes
• thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley

Directions

• For the mojo verde
• put the coriander
• parsley
• spring onion
• garlic
• 170ml/5½fl oz olive oil
• white wine vinegar
• cayenne
• cumin
• salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse to a coarse paste. Set aside.
• Bring a large pan of water to boil. Add the octopus
• onion and bay leaf and simmer until tender. (This takes about 20 minutes per kilo. If a tooth pick slides through a tentacle easily
• then the octopus is cooked). Once cooked
• separate the octopus legs from the body by cutting at the join and then cut each leg into pieces.
• Heat a dash of oil in a pan set over a medium heat. Add the octopus and fry for 2–3 minutes.
• Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and add the new potatoes. Boil for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Drain and leave to cool enough to handle. Cut into halves.
• Heat a frying pan with the remaining 80ml/2¾fl oz olive oil. Add the potato halves and shallots
• season and fry until golden brown.
• Heat a pan until hot. Dry fry the txistorra until the skin looks golden and crispy.
• Preheat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Place the sliced artichokes into the fryer and cook for 1–2 minutes. Drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
• To serve
• spread the mojo verde evenly onto a plate and place a mixture of the octopus
• potatoes and txistorra on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil and garnish with the artichokes.