Ceviche de Pulpo

Ceviche de Pulpo is one of the great expressions of Peruvian ceviche, made with whole octopus that is first poached gently in salted water with bay leaf, garlic and a splash of pisco or white wine until the tentacles are tender enough to pierce with a fork. The cooked octopus is sliced into rounds, cooled, and then dressed at the table with a sharp lime marinade of fresh key lime juice, thinly sliced red onion, a hot chili such as ají limo or rocoto, crushed garlic, salt and a generous handful of cilantro, with a spoonful of the octopus cooking liquor poured over to give the dish a faint marine depth. Unlike fish ceviche the octopus is not "cooked" by the acid, only briefly marinated so the lime flavours the surface while the meat stays firm.

It is a fixture of cevicherías along the Peruvian coast, where it is served in deep bowls with a whole kernel or two of choclo, a wedge of boiled sweet potato, a lettuce leaf, and a spoonful of cancha or toasted corn. The most famous versions come from the old cevicherías of central Lima, Callao and the fisher ports of Chimbote, Pisco, Huanchaco and Trujillo, where the octopus is brought in fresh each morning. It is most often ordered as a starter to share, and is paired with a chilled glass of dry Albariña, Sauvignon Blanc or a cold beer.