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What are Some Ways to Cook Octopus?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Octopus is a unique piece of seafood, and a number of consumers have misconceptions about how to cook it properly. Many people believe that the cephalopod only yields chewy, tasteless meat when cooked, but this is in fact far from the truth, as regional cuisines from France to Vietnam will attest. It is actually quite easy to cook octopus, but it needs to be done slowly.

Octopus usually tastes best when it is cooked slowly, tenderizing the flesh. The flesh will always be chewy, much like other meats, but it will not be rubbery and unpalatable if it is cooked properly. Cooks can also use smaller baby octopi, which will be more tender and yielding. There are a number of ways to cook octopus once a cook gets the hang of it, and he certainly does not need to beat it or peel it, unless he feels a driving urge to do so.

Octopus ready to be prepared.
Octopus ready to be prepared.

To begin with, cooks should choose octopus well. Most producers freeze the meat after catching it, which does not usually damage the flesh as long as it is well handled. In fact, frozen octopus tends to be more tender. Shoppers should plan on around 2 pounds (about 1 kg) for every three people, keeping in mind that the meat will shrink as it is cooked. Consumers should purchase cleaned octopus, if they can; in fact, shoppers may have trouble finding uncleaned octopus. If only uncleaned meat is available, chefs can clean it by turning it inside out, scraping the innards and the hard beak out, and washing it well. Some people also have a skin reaction to raw octopus, so wearing gloves is recommended.

An octopus dish garnered with lemon.
An octopus dish garnered with lemon.

There are many uses for the surprisingly tender, flavorful cephalopod. One of the best ways to cook it is in stews, curries, and other dishes that require a long simmering. Octopus can be cooked in water, stock, or wine, along with an assortment of other spices. The meat is done when a thin, sharp knife inserted into the thickest part yields easily. Small baby octopi will cook very quickly, while larger specimens may take several hours.

Grilled octopus.
Grilled octopus.

Once simmered, chefs can further cook octopus by grilling, baking, broiling, or sauteing it to produce different flavors and textures. Octopus can also replace other seafood in dishes like bouillabaisse and curries. Baby octopi can be cooked without a pre-simmering, and they taste especially excellent when marinated and grilled. Cooks looking for inspiration may want to look to Greek cuisine, which offers a number of recipes, ranging from octopus stewed in red wine to octopus fried with oil, salt, and pepper and served cold with lemon.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

PelesTears

@ Babalaas- I like grilled octopus too. I usually grill my octopus after simmering it in a saltwater bath. After grilling, I simply cut it into thin slices and eat.

I like to eat my grilled octopus with a wasabi dip. I mix soy sauce with a touch of sesame oil and a good helping of wasabi paste. A little pickled ginger on the side and a pair of chopsticks and you are good to go.

Babalaas

I used to fish for octopus so I like to make Tako Poke out of fresh grilled young octopus. I kill and clean about a pound of baby octopi, then marinate it in seasoned rice vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil. I grill the marinated octopus just until it firms up. The final preparation of the octopus is to cut it into bite size pieces.

I mix the grilled octopus with a half-teaspoon of grated ginger, half teaspoon of finely minced garlic, a half of a minced Maui onion, and three sliced green onions. After mixing these ingredients, I add a little soy sauce, chili paste, sesame oil, and a half cup of ogonori (thin glassy green seaweed).

Finally, I toss and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

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    • Octopus ready to be prepared.
      By: Lsantilli
      Octopus ready to be prepared.
    • An octopus dish garnered with lemon.
      By: Stefano Neri
      An octopus dish garnered with lemon.
    • Grilled octopus.
      By: Viktorija
      Grilled octopus.