How to make
Clean the octopus from the eyes, mouth and empty the head of the entrails, by turning it upside down. If it is fresh, freeze it for 24 hours and then defrost it. This will break its muscle fibers and it will not be tough and hard when consumed.
Pour water into a large cookware and place it on high heat, along with the peeled onions, carrots, celery, bay leaf, cloves and salt.
Once the water boils, hold the octopus comfortably and dip it and remove it 3-4 times until it has hardened and the tentacles curl. When this happens, put it in boiling water. It needs to cover it well.
Boil it for 50 minutes to 1 hour, then remove it and place it on a cutting board and leave it to cool, so that you can continue processing it without burning it.
Cut the tentacles crosswise into two or three parts and also cut the head into pieces. Usually, it is not very suitable for carpaccio, so you can remove it and set it aside for another dish or salad, but if not, it is not a problem to become part of the carpaccio.
Grab an empty plastic bottle of water and cut it crosswise, so that you can use about 5.5″ (14 cm) from the bottom. Discard the upper part. In case you are cooking more or less octopus, the height of the bottle should be more or less. You decide by the amount of seafood you have and which you will use. Make a few holes at the bottom.
Put the octopus pieces in the bottle and press them well with a convenient tool. Place a bowl or plate underneath to strain the liquid. Refrigerate it for 24 hours or freeze it for about 8 hours, in which case, take it out 30 minutes to an hour before cooking.
Since the octopus must be pressed well while it's left in a cold place, use a comfortable object to place on it and apply some pressure. In case you do not have one, it is easiest to cut the protruding edges of the bottle in several places, fold it inwards, by applying pressure and wrap it well in cling film.
Take out the firm and turned into jelly octopus from the plastic and cut it into the thinnest possible slices and distribute it in wide plates in a single layer.
Prepare a vinaigrette by mixing all of the ingredients for it, specified in the recipe. The quantities are up to you. Pour the desired amount of carpaccio.
If you are not going to serve all of the octopus at once, store the excess of it in a portion of vinaigrette, which covers it. That way it will last for up to a week.
Serve it with a glass of well-chilled champagne or other sparkling white wine.
Enjoy your meal!
