Avocado

Abra's Campechana

by:
April 30, 2011
3.5
2 Ratings
Abra's Campechana
  • 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

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 baby octopus, 1-2 lbs, fresh is best but frozen is okay
  • 1 cup V8 juice
  • 2 cups Clamato juice
  • 1/2 pound sea scallops
  • 1/2 pound rock shrimp, or small regular shrimp, shelled
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons catsup
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons Yucatan Sunshine hot sauce, or 2 teaspoons Cholula or Tapatio sauce
  • 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup ripe tomato, diced
  • 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
  • 1 ripe avocado, diced
Directions
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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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  • boulangere
    boulangere
  • Abra Bennett
    Abra Bennett
  • hardlikearmour
    hardlikearmour
  • gingerroot
    gingerroot
  • dymnyno
    dymnyno
Abra Bennett
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7 Reviews

Ginette
Ginette August 1, 2024
The octopus was sticking to the pot afterboilingfor 1 hour. The v8 and clamato juice practically evaporated. Is there something missing? It did not come out as expected
 
Ginette
Ginette August 1, 2024
The v8 and clamato juice almost evaporated while boiling for an hour. Is there something missing in recipe? The octopus was sticking to the pot. I had to add more v8 and clamato juice and it still didn't come out to what was expected.
 
boulangere
boulangere May 1, 2011
Whoa! Amazing blend of flavors and textures: scallops, shrimp. octopus, avocado. Love the Clamato and Cholula.
 
Abra B.
Abra B. May 1, 2011
Please let me know if you try it! Summer's coming, and it's a perfect food for a warm evening outside on the deck.
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour April 30, 2011
Wow! This sounds amazing. Would love to be served a margarita glass full of this!
 
gingerroot
gingerroot April 30, 2011
This sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
 
dymnyno
dymnyno April 30, 2011
I am also a big octopus fan. This sounds delicious!