Cooking time: 20mins | Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1kg medium octopus, cleaned (see Note)  
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce 
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
• 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes 
• 3 teaspoons crushed coriander seeds 
• 3 teaspoons salt flakes, crushed 
• 2 teaspoons crushed white peppercorns 
• 1 ¼ cup tapioca starch 
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying 
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced, to garnish 
• Parsley or coriander leaves, to garnish 

Method

1. To tenderise octopus, place into a bowl and cover with boiling water to blanch for 1 minute.  Drain in a colander and pat dry with paper towel.   
2. Cut tentacles into 3 cm pieces.  Honeycomb the inside of the head with shallow parallel cuts on the diagonal and then again at 90 degrees.  Cut the head into bite sized pieces. 
3. Place Octopus, fish sauce and lemon juice in a bowl and marinate for 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry.  
4. Place chilli, coriander seeds, salt, pepper and tapioca in a large bowl, add the Octopus and toss well to coat. Place octopus in a colander and shake well to remove excess flour. 
5. Heat oil in a wok or deep-fryer to 180ºC. 
6. Deep-fry Octopus, in batches, for 1-2 minutes, until crisp and tender. Drain on paper towel, and transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with chilli slices and parsley or coriander leaves to serve. 

Sourced from Sydney Seafood School :: Deep-Fried Salt & Pepper Octopus (sydneyfishmarket.com.au)