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Serves
4 as a starter, 2 as a main
Author Notes
I almost entered this in the Recipe I Want To Be Remembered For contest, but I figured that octopus was too daring. Someone at Food 52 must be psychic, because the very next contest gives me the chance to share this delicious creation with you. I had never heard of campechana when I first ate it at La Laguna in Lake Chelan, Washington. Our server spoke very little English, all I knew when I ordered it was that it contained octopus, which I love. The flavor was haunting, exquisite. After a lot of experimenting in my own kitchen I managed to recreate it as I remembered the flavors and textures. I hope you love this dish as much as I do! —Abra Bennett
Ingredients
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1
baby octopus, 1-2 lbs, fresh is best but frozen is okay
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1 cup
V8 juice
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2 cups
Clamato juice
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1/2 pound
sea scallops
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1/2 pound
rock shrimp, or small regular shrimp, shelled
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3 tablespoons
fresh lime juice
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3 tablespoons
catsup
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1 1/4 teaspoons
Yucatan Sunshine hot sauce, or 2 teaspoons Cholula or Tapatio sauce
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1/4 cup
red onion, finely diced
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1/2 cup
ripe tomato, diced
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3 tablespoons
cilantro, chopped
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1
ripe avocado, diced
Directions
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Prepare octopus by cutting tentacles into very small pieces. You can also cut up the body of the octopus, if you wish. Place V8 and Clamato in a saucepan, bring to a boil, add octopus. Cover and boil very gently for 1 hour.
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Meanwhile, cut scallops into quarters, and shell shrimp, if you're not using rock shrimp. When octopus is very tender, stir in shrimp and scallops and simmer for just 2-3 minutes, until they are barely opaque. Remove pan from heat.
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Stir in lime juice, hot sauce, catsup, onion, and tomato. Add a little additional Clamato if you like. There should be enough liquid to barely float the seafood - this is a cocktail, not a soup. Let cool to room temperature. Stir in cilantro and avocado just before serving. If you have Mexican margarita glasses, it's beautiful to serve the campechana in them.
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