To Serve Chilled: remove the octopus from the olive oil, and give it a little squeeze of lemon or vinegar, a pinch of salt and some fresh parsley (a few chilli flakes work wonders!). Let the octopus cool in the water for five minutes then remove and cut the tentacles (leave whole if preferred and if grilling or in bite size portions if you want to serve it cold) and marinate in lots of olive oil, herbs (bay, coriander seeds, parsley, garlic, lemon zest), put the whole thing in an airtight container and store in the fridge. Submerge the octopus in the water, bring to the boil and then simmer gently for 30-45 minutes with a lid on or until a fork can pierce the flesh with just a little resistance.Ĭook too long and it goes mushy, too little and it is tough.
Step 2 – Braise Octopusīoil some salted water with some herbs (bay leaves, coriander seeds, few cloves of whole garlic) and dip the octopus in a few times to let the tentacles curl up (the Spanish do this to tenderise but I do it so the tentacles are nice an neat). Watch one of my video recipes on cooking octopus to see that in action. Simple, give it a good wash in cold water to ensure all grit is gone and then cut the head off just under the eyes and remove the beak. Let’s presume for this octopus recipe, it has been frozen and now you have on your hands a defrosted octopus. I should note, I use Spanish octopus that usually comes in between 1.5kg to 2kg (same size as in my video above). Some cook their octopus in gallons of wine but I like mine quite simple to really showcase the octopus flavour. This will give you a tender, cooked octopus that you can then grill, BBQ or serve chilled.
#Octopus tentacles how to#
So let me share how to cook octopus.įundamentally the way it works is whatever you want to do with the slippery sucker, you need to slowly braise it first. I don’t know the answer to all of those but I know how I do it and I know that it comes out perfect everytime. Thinking about it, Octopus is the cause of much debate – how do you tenderise it? whats the best way to cook it? do you add water or let the octopus own juices do the trick? Do you roast or braise? Then it just comes down to how you cook it. But if you are lucky enough to get fresh octopus, freezing it overnight or for a few days will break down it’s proteins and help tenderise the meat. Most octopus you buy come frozen so no need. The Greeks have a habit of throwing their freshly caught octopus against rocks and I think the Japanese just eat them live ?Īctually, the way I tenderise octopus is to freeze it overnight. The Italians keep their octopus tender with a wine cork in the pot, the Spanish dip the octopus in boiling water three times before submerging. For every nation there is a method they swear by to keep the octopus tender. The big debate on how to tenderise an octopus, how to cook an octopus without it being tough. My favourite way on how to cook octopus is to either have grilled octopus or barbecued octopus, the contrast, of slightly chewy gelatinous octopus with a charred exterior is exquisite. Octopus can be eaten braised, you can roast octopus, or serve chilled. If octopus is cooked properly these fluid colour changing beasts from the deep are tender, succulent and delicious. How you cook octopus makes all the difference. The usual reaction to eating octopus is that it is tough and chewy – not true. So, how to cook octopus? Octopus or Octopi which gets it’s name from the Greek Octo-bothi (eight footed) is about as old as they come. Cephalopods have been in existence for 500 million years.īesides a plethora of connotations, meanings and history the one thing I really know about Octopus is they taste great! The Mediterraneans have been cooking these eight-legged sea creatures for centuries (as have Asia, Pacific Islands, in fact pretty much everyone who has some water near them). **Please check your junk mail folder if not received yet*
Please click the link and start receiving recipes! We've just sent you an email with an activation link.