Want to process octopus into a variety of delicious dishes but are already afraid before going to war? In fact, you don't have to worry too much because octopus is one of the easiest types of seafood to cook. However, since the texture of an overcooked octopus will be very tough when bitten, try boiling it until it is really soft first. After that, then you can grill it, serve it in a very thick sauce, or process it into fresh lettuce. Serve the octopus with a variety of your favorite spices and enjoy the delicacy!
Ingredients
Grilled Octopus with Greek Seasoning
- 1 kg fresh octopus or frozen octopus that has been softened, wash thoroughly
- 5 Jamaican peppercorns
- 3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced, divided in half
- 2 bay leaves or bay leaves
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme
- 180 ml balsam vinegar, divided into two
- 120 ml olive oil
- 1 tbsp. dried oregano
- 1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. capers, finely chopped
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. salt
For: 4 servings
Boiled Octopus with Spanish Seasoning
- 500 grams of fresh octopus or frozen octopus that has been softened, wash thoroughly
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, cut into 2.5 cm thickness
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 large bay leaf / bay leaf or 2 small bay leaves / bay leaf
- 1 1/2 tsp. Spanish paprika powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 120 ml fermented white wine
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley
- Cayenne salt and pepper, to taste
For: 2 servings
Boiled Octopus Lettuce
- 1 kg fresh octopus or frozen octopus that has been softened, wash thoroughly
- 10 grams of chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 60 ml lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. fine grained sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
For: 6 to 8 servings
Step
Method 1 of 3: Grilling Octopus with Greek Spices
Step 1. Place the octopus, Jamaican peppercorns, garlic, bay leaf or bay leaf, and thyme in a saucepan
First of all, put 1 kg of fresh octopus or frozen octopus that has been softened into the pan. Then, add the 5 Jamaican peppercorns, half the sliced garlic, 2 bay or bay leaves, and a sprig of fresh thyme.
In this recipe, you can use the whole octopus or the tentacles alone. Before the whole octopus is processed, ask the fishmonger to help remove the mouth and ink sac
Step 2. Pour water until it fills 2.5 parts of the pot, then boil the octopus
Pour enough cold tap water into the pot of octopus, then turn the stove over high heat until the water boils.
Don't cover the pot so you can monitor its condition
Step 3. Boil the octopus over medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes
Reduce the heat of the stove, then cover the pot tightly. After that, boil the octopus over medium heat for the recommended amount of time until it is completely soft in texture.
- Reduce the heat of the stove if the intensity of the bubbles on the surface starts to increase.
- To check the texture of the octopus, open the lid and pierce the octopus with a wooden skewer. The octopus is cooked and tender if a wooden skewer can be easily removed afterwards.
Step 4. Turn off the stove and pour 60 ml of vinegar in it
Once the octopus is tender, put on heat-resistant gloves and remove the lid from the pot. Then, turn off the heat of the stove and pour the balsam vinegar into it. Save a portion of vinegar to be used as a marinade later.
The water should turn opaque once the vinegar is added
Step 5. Cool the octopus at room temperature
Do not remove the octopus from the pan until it is completely cool, about 1 hour, as the exact time depends largely on the size of the pan and the amount of water used to boil the octopus. During this period of time, the texture of the octopus will soften. In addition, the taste will be even richer!
If you want to boil octopus long ago, try putting a pot of octopus and boiling water in the refrigerator. Store the octopus overnight until it's time to bake
Step 6. Make a simple marinade in a separate bowl
When the octopus is ready to bake, pour the remaining balsam vinegar (120 ml) into a bowl. Then, add 120 ml of olive oil and 1 1/2 tbsp. squeeze lemon into it. After that, also pour:
- 1 tbsp. dried oregano
- 1 tbsp. capers, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Step 7. Heat a gas or charcoal grill over high heat
If using a charcoal grill, burn the charcoal that will be used first. Once the coals are hot and gray, immediately pour them under the grill bars.
Step 8. Arrange the octopus pieces on the grill, then bake for 4 to 5 minutes
Remove the octopus from the boiling water, then place the tentacles on the grill bars. If using a whole octopus, try dividing it into 3 or 3 portions first, and make sure each portion includes the body and a few tentacles. Then, use tongs to flip the octopus halfway through the recommended baking time. You should see burnt marks on the surface of the cooked octopus.
- The amount in each serving really depends on the size of the octopus you use.
- Remember, the true octopus has been cooked until cooked beforehand. That's why, you just need to grill it until the octopus emits a nice smoked aroma.
Step 9. Soak the octopus in the seasoning solution for 10 minutes before serving
Use tongs to lift the octopus from the grill and transfer it to the bowl of the marinade solution. Then, stir the octopus until the entire surface is well coated with the spices, and let the octopus sit for 10 minutes so that the flavors of the spices are absorbed into it. Serve the grilled octopus with grilled vegetables and lettuce.
If you wish, you can cut the grilled octopus first before soaking it in the spices to make it easier to eat afterwards
Method 2 of 3: Boiling Octopus with Spanish Seasoning
Step 1. Sauté the onion, garlic, bay or bay leaf, paprika, salt, and oil for 5 minutes
Pour in about 1 tbsp. oil in a deep enough saucepan, then turn on the stove over medium to high heat. Then, add 1 piece of onion, 3 cloves of garlic, and 1 large bay leaf / bay leaf or 2 small bay leaves / bay leaf. Also add 1 1/2 tsp. ground Spanish paprika and 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt into it. Saute all the spices until the texture of the onion softens.
You can use yellow or white onions in this recipe
Step 2. Pour 120 ml of fermented white wine into a saucepan and heat it over low heat
Once all the spices are sauteed, pour the fermented white wine into the saucepan and heat it over medium-high heat until small bubbles appear on the surface.
This solution is what you will later use to boil the octopus
Step 3. Put 500 grams of octopus into the solution you just made, then reduce the heat of the stove
Once the octopus has been added, try to position it with food tongs to make sure the entire surface is well coated with the seasoning. Then, reduce the heat of the stove to begin the process of cooking the octopus.
- In this recipe, you can use the whole octopus or the tentacles alone. If you want to use a whole octopus, remove the mouth of the octopus first. Then, cut open the octopus head and cut the small, dark ink sac, being very careful not to break the bag.
- Supposedly, the seasoning solution will only submerge half the octopus.
Step 4. Cover the pot and cook the octopus for 60 to 65 minutes
Cover the pot and let the octopus sit until it is completely soft. To allow the octopus to cook more evenly, remove the lid after 30 minutes and turn the octopus with the help of tongs.
To make sure the octopus is completely tender, try stabbing the thickest part of the meat with a wooden skewer. Supposedly, the wooden skewer can be easily removed once the octopus is soft
Step 5. Turn off the stove and pour the octopus and boiling water into a bowl
Slowly transfer the octopus and liquid from the saucepan to a bowl, then let sit for 1 hour or until the octopus has completely cooled to room temperature.
To speed up the cooling process, you can submerge the bowl of octopus in another, larger bowl filled with ice water
Step 6. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the octopus for at least 2 hours
Once the octopus has cooled, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. Refrigerate the octopus for at least 2 hours or overnight.
The longer the octopus is left in the boiling water, the richer the taste will be
Tips:
If you don't want to serve the octopus with the purple skin on, transfer the cooked octopus onto a cutting board. Then, wipe the surface with a piece of kitchen paper to exfoliate the skin. As a result, the octopus will look cleaner and brighter when served.
Step 7. Pour the octopus and boiling water into a saucepan, and heat both to a boil
Just before serving, remove the octopus from the refrigerator and pour it into the pot with the boiling water. Then, turn on the stove over high heat, and heat the octopus until the water boils.
Step 8. Turn off the stove and let the octopus cool for 10 minutes before draining it
During this period of time, the octopus will absorb more of the flavor of the cooking water so that it will taste more delicious when eaten. Then, place a small slotted colander over a bowl or measuring cup, and slowly pour the octopus into the colander.
Discard the filtered dregs and set aside a bowl of boiling water that is watery in texture and very rich in flavor
Step 9. Take the octopus and cut it into 3 to 4 portions
Remove the octopus from the boiling water with the help of tongs, then place it on a cutting board. Then, use a very sharp knife to cut the octopus into 3 to 4 servings, making sure each serving contains the octopus body and a few tentacles. Then, put each serving of octopus into several serving plates.
- The number of tentacles in each serving depends on the size of the octopus being cooked.
- Don't throw away the octopus cooking water, as you can still use it as a base for the sauce.
Step 10. Mix the lemon juice, olive oil and parsley and pour the solution over the surface of the octopus
First of all, mix 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, and 1 tbsp. chopped Italian parsley in a bowl or measuring cup. Then, stir all the ingredients until smooth and pour over the octopus that has been arranged on a serving plate.
Try serving octopus with french fries or toasted garlic bread
Method 3 of 3: Making Boiled Octopus Lettuce
Step 1. Cut the octopus tentacles to a thickness of 2.5 cm
Place 1 kg, octopus on a cutting board and cut off the head if this has not been done before. After that, use a very sharp knife to cut the octopus tentacles to a thickness of 2.5 cm and place them in the pan.
Octopus heads can be removed or stored for processing into other recipes
Step 2. Pour in the water until there is a gap of about 2.5 cm between the surface of the octopus and the surface of the water
First, place the stove over the pot, then pour enough cold tap water to submerge the octopus to a depth of 2.5 cm.
To enrich the taste of the octopus, you can also add 1 tbsp. salt into the water. Thus, the salt will be absorbed into the octopus meat while the boiling process takes place
Step 3. Boil the octopus over low heat for a maximum of 1 hour
Heat the stove over high heat until the water in the pot boils. Then, reduce the heat to reduce the intensity of the bubbles, and simmer the octopus until it is completely soft, about 45 to 60 minutes.
Do not cover the pot so that the water does not overflow when heated
Tips:
To check the softness of the octopus, try piercing the inside with a wooden skewer. The octopus is soft and cooked if the wooden skewer can be removed easily afterwards.
Step 4. Drain the octopus and let it sit at room temperature
Turn off the stove and place the slotted basket over the sink. Then, put on heat-resistant gloves and pour the boiled octopus into a perforated basket to drain the water. After that, let the octopus cool down, about 10 to 20 minutes.
Step 5. Place the octopus and all other ingredients in a bowl
Transfer the drained octopus to a serving bowl, then add 10 grams of chopped flat-leaf parsley, chopped 3 cloves of garlic, 1 diced celery stick, and 1 thinly sliced carrot. In addition, also add the ingredients to make the following lettuce sauce:
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 60 ml of fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. fine grained sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
Step 6. Stir in the lettuce and let it rest for 30 minutes before serving
Use a large spoon to stir the vegetables and seasonings in the bowl, making sure that the entire surface of the octopus is well coated with the sauce. After that, serve delicious lettuce with crusty bread and cheese.
If the octopus lettuce is not served right away, mix all the ingredients except the parsley in a bowl. Then, cover the bowl and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Parsley can be added just before the lettuce is served
Tips
- In fact, you can use fresh or frozen octopus to practice all the recipes in this article. Before processing frozen octopus, make sure you soften it by refrigerating it overnight.
- If you want to buy fresh octopus, ask the fishmonger to help remove the ink sac and mouth.
