Octopus Meatballs

To make the octopus meatballs, start by cooking the octopus (already cleaned): place it in a large pot immersed in cold water 1, add a scant handful of coarse salt 2, black peppercorns, crushed garlic cloves, part of the parsley bunch, lemon zest, and half of the lemon 3. Count 2 hours from when the water starts boiling.

At the end of cooking, the octopus should be very tender and should "fall apart" easily. Once cooked, drain it (reserving the cooking water for the mayonnaise); then cut the octopus into pieces while still warm 4. Pour everything into a blender jug and add the chopped parsley 6.

Grate the lemon zest 7, season with salt and pepper to taste, then pour in a little of the octopus cooking water 8. Blend everything. While blending, add a drizzle of oil. You should get a soft but compact mixture 9.

From this mixture, you can form meatballs; you will get about 10-12 depending on the size 10. Let them firm up in the fridge for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, work on the mayonnaise: filter the octopus cooking water, you will need 2 cups. Pour it into a saucepan 11 and reduce over low heat until 1/2 cup of liquid remains, then let it cool. Transfer the concentrated octopus water to a tall container and squeeze in the lemon juice, you'll need about 1 tablespoon 12.

Start the immersion blender 13 and gradually add the vegetable oil while you continue to blend 14. The mayonnaise you will get will be smooth and velvety. Add the previously drained and chopped olives and capers 15 and mix.

Take the meatballs from the fridge and heat the vegetable oil to a temperature of 350°F. Then coat the meatballs: pass each one first in the flour 16, then in the beaten eggs 17, and finally in the panko 18.

Fry a few meatballs at a time, for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown 19 20, drain them on paper towels. Then salt immediately to taste. Serve the octopus meatballs accompanied by their mayonnaise 21!