Hisham Assaad’s Grilled Octopus With Coriander & Moghrabieh Salad

Despite being a port city in a Mediterranean country, seafood is not the first thing you might think of when considering Beiruti or Lebanese cuisine.

Mostly this is because, as I have mentioned before, we tend to let the star ingredient shine by itself rather than dress it up.

However, a few restaurants have started to work with seafood and develop new recipes.

This recipe is a combination of two dishes I’ve tried in Baron, a hip and popular restaurant in Mar Mikhael that uses local ingredients in new ways, with modern cooking techniques and creative presentation.

The octopus is twice cooked – the first time to cook it through and tenderise it; the second to get the char and nice crispy bits around the edges.

Inspired by the restaurant’s presentation, I’ve used the moghrabieh pearls in a way that people don’t do at home: cold in a salad, rather than in a stew. I’m sure this will offend some traditionalists!

Recipe extracted from ‘Bayrut: The Cookbook’ by Hisham Assaad, $65, Smith Street Books.