This recipe was created in collaboration with Club House for Chefs and Hawksworth Young Chef Scholarship by: Connor Sperling, Chef of Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar in Vancouver, BC.
For the Ancho Chili Sauce: Place wire rack on grill and slowly grill tomatoes, Fresno chilies, shallots, onion and garlic until the skin has blistered and wilted. Heat a rondo pot and add cooking oil. Begin to roast the grilled tomatoes, shallots, onion and garlic for 2 minutes, then add tomatoes and reduce heat to a slow simmer. Cook for 30 minutes. Add the smoked paprika, Ancho chilies, garlic, shallot confit, lime juice, zest of lime, orange juice and ceviche liquid. Slowly simmer for 1 hour and season with salt. Purée contents in a mixer.
For the Lime Crema: Mix everything together in a bowl.
For the Pickled Red Onions: Peel off the second and third layers from red onions and thickly slice them into 5mm rings. Dry-toast pickling spice for 5 minutes. Combine all toasted spices, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and orange peel in a pot and bring to a boil. Be sure to check that the sugar and salt are fully incorporated. Add the habanero peppers and pour contents over onion rings. Refrigerate for 24 hours to allow for the pickling process.
For the Octopus: Mix the sesame seed, quinoa, cumin, and fennel seed together in a bowl. Rinse the octopus and pat dry with paper towel. Dredge the octopus in the flour and place in a bowl with the whisked eggs. Remove octopus from the eggs and place into a bowl with the seed mixture. Cover completely with the mixture. Deep fry the coated octopus in canola oil at 350 degrees until golden brown.
For Serving: Place octopus on a plate and garnish with ancho chili puree, lime crema and pickled onions.
