New to cooking Octopus - welcome all suggestions

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DrLogik
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New to cooking Octopus - welcome all suggestions

#1

Post by DrLogik »

I love Octopus but the darn creature intimidates me. Yes, have surfed through YouTube videos and it actually seems pretty easy. I'm looking for the "cut with a fork" tenderness but grilled or broiled. Anyone here have experience cooking this creature?

Vaughanwilson3022
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Re: New to cooking Octopus - welcome all suggestions

#2

Post by Vaughanwilson3022 »

One of our neighbors was from Madrid, she simply boiled it in a pot until tender and then sliced it - is on our must have list at Tapas restaurants.

AlexP
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Re: New to cooking Octopus - welcome all suggestions

#3

Post by AlexP »

Hello,

I cook pulpo all the time. A couple tips:

- Make sure the octopus has been previously frozen. Most likely it has been. If you actually get a freshly caught one, freeze it and then thaw it, this is one of the tricks to achieve tender meat.
- "Scare" the octopus by submerging it in boiling water, pull it out, count one or two Mississipis and bring it back in the pot, repeat three times. You can just grab the head, no need to submerge it. This prevents the skin from peeling off while cooking.
- Once you have scared it three times, leave the octopus in the water, once the water comes back to boil, I usually do 18 minutes per pound simmering / boiling water.
- Once done, I like to submerge the octopus in ice water to cool and then I can prepare it multiple ways. You can grill, broil, sautéed, or eat it cold in salads at this point.
- To me, the bigger the better, but I usually can only find 3 to 4 lbs beasts. I am bias and like Spanish octopus (Portuguese as well). You could find imported octopus from Spain or Portugal, but it has been caught off the African Coast. You could tell the difference in the color, but living in the US, this distinction is for the obsessed....

I have also cooked it sous vide. You scare it, cool it in ice water, dry it, pack it and sous vide it.

There are a lot of recipes out there that you can easily find. If you watch a decent video in Youtube you should see the steps above.

My cooking account in Instagram is alejandroprietospain , you will see plenty of octopus dishes there if you are in this social platform.

Tight Lines and Happy Eating

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Bill Charles
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Re: New to cooking Octopus - welcome all suggestions

#4

Post by Bill Charles »

We cook octopus regularly when we are in Portugal.

We buy the frozen, as previously mentioned it does help. We will simmer for 45min to an hour in water and white wine. We also add garlic and herbs to the pot. Then we marinate in olive oil and garlic for about an hour and then grill until you get some nice marks on the tentacles. Probably no more than a few minutes a side.

Squeeze some fresh lemon or lime over it and enjoy!


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