At first glance, octopus might seem like a difficult dish to prepare. However, despite appearances, cooking this delicacy turns out to be quite simple. The best way to cook octopus is to slowly cook the meat until it becomes soft (as fast cooking makes it tough and chewy). If you want to cook octopus at home, here are some tips on how to prepare it.
Ingrediants
Boiled Octopus
Ingredients for 4 people
- 1, 3 kg of frozen octopus (to defrost and cut into pieces)
- 6 L of Water
- 1 onion cut into wedges
- 1 sliced carrot
- 1 leek, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 30 g of chopped fresh parsley
- 30 g of chopped fresh thyme
- 10 g of black peppercorns
Grilled Octopus
Ingredients for 4 people
- 1, 3 kg of frozen octopus (to defrost and cut into pieces)
- Salt (to taste)
- Ground pepper (to taste)
- 50 ml of olive oil
- 1 Lemon cut in half
- 30 g of chopped fresh parsley
Octopus in White
Ingredients for 4 people
- 1, 3 kg of frozen octopus (to defrost and leave whole)
- 250 ml of white wine vinegar
- 4 L of Water
- 8 grains of black pepper
- 4 bay leaves
- 40 g of salt
Steps
Before Starting - Preparation of the Octopus
Step 1. Thaw the octopus
Frozen octopus can be left to defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- Frozen octopus has an advantage over fresh octopus: the freezing process softens the meat. If you prefer to cook fresh octopus, tenderize the meat with a meat tenderizer.
- Before starting the preparation, the octopus must be completely defrosted.
Step 2. Separate the tentacles from the body
Use a kitchen knife to sever each individual tentacle at the base.
- Be aware that some recipes require the octopus to be cooked whole. Read the recipe carefully before setting out to cut it.
- Arrange the octopus on a flat surface, raise a tentacle slightly and cut it off at the base; continue in the same way for each single tentacle.
- If you have kitchen scissors, you can use them to cut the tentacles faster.
Step 3. Cut the trunk and head
Separate the head from the trunk and cut it in half.
The part of the trunk that connects the tentacles to the head is hard and has an unpleasant taste; you can then discard it. The head, on the other hand, must be cooked together with the tentacles
Step 4. Remove the spout and ink pouch if necessary
Often, with frozen octopus, this step can be skipped, as the inedible parts are removed before freezing.
- If you opt for fresh octopus, you can still ask the fishmonger to clean it for you at the time of purchase.
- Once the head or body is cut in half, the ink sac should be visible along with the intestines. Removing these parts is quite simple; just do it.
- The beak may be attached to the hard section of the trunk (the part you discarded earlier); in this case no particular operation is necessary. In case it is attached to the body, you can push it out by gently squeezing the octopus. When the beak comes out, cut and discard it.
Method 1 of 3: Boiled Octopus
Step 1. Fill a saucepan with water and herbs
Use a large pot and fill it about two-thirds full with water. Also add the herbs and vegetables.
- If you have packaged vegetables available, you can use those. Vegetables and herbs are mainly used to flavor the meat.
- For this recipe we recommend: onion, carrot, leek, bay leaf, parsley, thyme and peppercorns; but you can still decide to use other vegetables and aromas that you have available and that you think would be equally good.
Step 2. Bring to a boil
Heat the broth until it begins to boil briskly. Let it boil for about 5 minutes.
By letting them boil, the flavors and vegetables will release all their aroma and you will get a tastier broth
Step 3. Add the octopus
Pour the tentacles and the chopped head into the water. This will dampen the boil; revive it by raising the flame.
As for this recipe, cutting the octopus into pieces is very important, but better not to divide the tentacles and head into smaller parts (mostly for an aesthetic factor)
Step 4. Cover and cook the meat until soft
This should take 20 to 45 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, use a fork to try the tenderness of the meat. It won't be cooked yet, but doing so will give you an idea of what it looks like while cooking. Repeat the process after 15 minutes to notice the difference.
- When perfectly cooked, the meat should literally sink into the fork as you pull it out of the broth.
Step 5. Remove the octopus from the pot and serve
Boiled octopus is usually cut into pieces and served with rice or in a salad, but you can also eat it without any seasoning.
You can also filter the cooking water and save it for the preparation of some other fish-based dish
Method 2 of 3: Grilled Octopus
Step 1. Bring the oven temperature to 130 ° C
Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum.
- The oven rack will be positioned at the bottom (or towards the middle), so that the octopus has the necessary space inside the oven.
- The octopus will be cooked for the most part in the oven. Grilling it serves more than anything else to flavor it. By cooking it exclusively on the grill, without pre-cooking in the oven, its meat would in fact remain stringy.
Step 2. Place the octopus on the baking sheet
Add a pinch of salt and cover it with aluminum foil.
Close the foil by gently curling it around the edges of the pan
Step 3. Cook the octopus until tender
This should take approximately 2 hours. Let it cool once ready.
- If you stick it with a fork or a fruit knife, the meat should be very tender.
- As the octopus cools, remove the skin to speed up the process.
- At this point you can cover the octopus and leave it in the refrigerator for a couple of days. If liquid has formed after cooking, discard it.
Step 4. Heat the grill
Sprinkle the grill with 15ml olive oil and heat it up for 10 minutes.
- If you have a gas barbecue, turn the burners on high and heat the grill for 10 minutes.
- Using a traditional barbecue, place a thin layer of charcoal on the bottom and let it burn until white ash forms on the surface.
Step 5. Add the oil
After putting some oil on the meat, add a pinch of salt and pepper (to taste).
The oil, in addition to browning the pieces of octopus, will make them fragrant. It will also make sure that salt and pepper adhere better to the meat
Step 6. Roast the octopus on the grill
Place the octopus pieces on the grill and let them cook for 4-5 minutes, or until they look well roasted.
After placing the octopus pieces on the grill, close the barbecue and let them cook. You should turn the meat only once, halfway through cooking
Step 7. Serve the octopus with the olive oil, lemon juice and parsley
Grilled octopus can also be combined with other dishes but, if you serve it alone, oil, lemon and fresh parsley make it truly delicious.
Method 3 of 3: White Octopus
Step 1. Heat water and vinegar
Pour the two ingredients together in a saucepan and bring them to a boil by cooking over high heat.
You can add flavorings before the water comes to a boil, although if you do so later, the water will start boiling earlier
Step 2. Add the flavors
Divide the lemon into two parts and squeeze the juice into the water, then toss the halves into the pot. Also add the peppercorns, bay leaves and salt.
Lower the heat and leave the aromas to infuse for 10 minutes. By boiling the aromas you will get a tasty bath in which to cook the octopus
Step 3. Blanch the octopus
Use kitchen tongs to dip the whole octopus into the water. Soak it three consecutive times and hold it in water for 5 seconds each time.
- You can also use thick plastic gloves to immerse the octopus's body in the water by holding it by the head.
- This cooking method is meant for a whole octopus. It is important that the tentacles curl up on themselves during the process and, in our case, it would be impossible to blanch a chopped octopus.
Step 4. Boil the octopus
Put the octopus in the water and turn the heat down. Allow the water to boil slightly and let the octopus cook for about 30 minutes, or until it becomes tender enough.
Once cooked, the meat should be so soft that it can be easily pierced with a fork
Step 5. Let the octopus cool before serving
Let the octopus cool for a few minutes, until you can touch it with your fingers without burning yourself, and then … Enjoy your meal!
