I think that octopus is a misunderstood food. Many people are often put off by the idea of eating it. Maybe they're afraid of it, or they think the tentacles are disgusting. Perhaps they had a bad experience with octopus prepared in a way that masked the deliciousness of this cephalopod. I'm hoping that this post will convert more people into eating octopus, because it's cheap, healthy, and yummy!
Ingredient Spotlight: Octopus
Many cultures eat octopus, from the Asians to the Mediterranean Europeans to South and Central Americans. As there are abundant sources of wild octopus off U.S. coastal waters, I'm a bit surprised that it hasn't become a part of American cuisine. Well - to be honest, most Americans have encountered octopus only in deep-fried form and covered in marinara sauce, and this isn't a fair presentation of this delicacy.
The first time I had octopus was at an Italian restaurant when I was a kid in Miami. My father had ordered a pasta dish that had assorted seafood in marinara sauce, and one of the seafood ingredients was whole baby octopus. I was always a pretty adventurous eater so I asked if I could try some. I took a bite and loved it, so we ordered another plate to take home.
Octopus is found in Asian markets, and sometimes found in the seafood departments of upscale markets. Sometimes it can be found in Latin American markets - the Spanish name for octopus is "pulpo." The Japanese call it "tako." Octopus can be purchased in whole, raw form, and sometimes, live. It can also be purchased already-boiled, cut in portions, and shrink-wrapped. It's also sold in dried and frozen form. Catalina Offshore Products also sells it online.
Octopus is the key ingredient in takoyaki, a savory Japanese street food of fried octopus balls. It can also be cooked in the ubiquitous Japanese pancake, okonomiyaki, or in oden, a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs winter stew. It is also a popular sushi item. Whole baby octopus grilled and tossed with olive oil, lemon, garlic, parsley, and fresh tomatoes is a common seafood salad in the Mediterranean region. Octopus grilled in white wine with potatoes, peppers, and garlic is a delicious tapa in Spain. In Peru, octopus is stewed with tomatoes and corn. Dried octopus is like beef jerky and served along with beer and spicy kimchi pickles in many bars in Korea. There are just so many ways to eat octopus!
The texture is firm and it is satisfyingly chewy, but it should not be rubbery. If it is too chewy then that's a sign it's overcooked. The flavor is unique - it has a faint taste of the sea and a slight sweetness to it. The mouthfeel is very interesting. The skin is subtly pebbly in texture, the flesh is firm and smooth, and the suckers add a whole new dimension to the experience.
Choosing and Preparation of Octopus
If you're buying a raw octopus, make sure it has been recently caught and is not giving off any strong odors. It should smell like the sea in a pleasant, fresh, salty way, but not offensive. Rinse it under cold water. Octopus needs to be tenderized before cooking, so beat it for a few minutes with a rolling pin or a meat tenderizer. Add to a pot of boiling salted water and boil for a hour. When it can be easily cut with a fork, it is ready. Leave it in the water and let the water cool off before removing the octopus. From here on it can be sliced up and added to your favorite recipes. Some people say that freezing an octopus is a very good way to tenderize it but I haven't tried it. If you're planning to grill or saute the octopus, no need to boil; just cut up and add to the heat source and cook until firm and opaque.
If buying a precooked octopus, the skin should be dark purple (like in the photograph above) and the flesh should be white. It should smell slightly like the ocean, but not overly fishy. Rinse it off in cold water and pat dry. From here, you can slice it up for sashimi or nigiri, or you can use it in recipes for octopus salad.
Related:
How To Clean Whole Fresh Squid - scroll down for the really interesting photo in this post!
Japanese Street Food: Takoyaki
Japanese Cooking: Okonomiyaki
Fresh Abalone from American Abalone
How To Make Chirashi At Home
Ingredient Spotlight: Sea Urchin
(Image: Kathryn Hill)
Comments (29)
Weekly Email
Top Posts
Top Recipes
- Recipe: Hearty & Healthy Apple Muffins
- Recipe for Warmth: Hot Apple-Ginger Toddy
- Fall Snacking Recipe: Peanut Butter Popcorn
- DIY Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Latte (Just Like Starbucks!)
- Recipe: Ginger Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
Top Tours
- Before & After: Kelly Moseley's Calming Austin Kitchen
- Rachel's Busy Single Girl's Kitchen
- Karen's White and Green Urban Cottage Kitchen
- Kitchen Gallery: White, Bright, and Clean
- Michelle's Gracious Craftsman Kitchen
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Fried octopus balls. Sorry, you lost me there.
view Annegret's profile
They're fried balls of dough with pieces of octopus in them, Annegret. NOT fried octopus testicles.
view Kathryn Hill's profile
Thanks for this post - I had no idea how to cook octopus. I've had it in Italian and Japanese restaurants, and it's delicious!
view ScienceandtheCity's profile
LOL at "fried octopus balls." At first I thought it was akin to eating sea urchin gonads in sushi form. Glad for the clarification.
I really wanted to comment about the photo, it's gorgeous! Aside from that, I'm "meh" on octopus (I've had the whole baby salad version and it was just okay, but it might have been a prep issue more than flavor).
view Squirrely's profile
Eeee that photo gives me the willies
view akay's profile
yummy! my favorite way to cook octopus is on the grill and as a dipping sauce white miso and rice wine vinegar...with some hot white rice it is awesome!
view wwoolsey's profile
takoyaki - the fried octopus balls are incredibly tasty - too bad they're not street food here. yet.
view TAmom's profile
That photo made my eyes pop. That being said, I love calamari, so I'd be willing to try it fried. I'd be hesitant to try it another way until after that.
view inkstainedwriter's profile
so tasty. I love eating bby octopi because it makes me feel like a giant. I secretly roar each time i eat one.
view chusmabilly's profile
beautiful picture!
view bfisk's profile
Kathryn, that is a beautiful photo!! Squid and octopus are definitely underappreciated in the US. This post is so informative.
view Splomo's profile
In Pisa I had an AMAZING octopus dish that was basically just very thinly sliced rounds of octopus grilled to a smokey, slightly chewy texture and drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper and parsley. Soooooooo good!!
view kittystockings's profile
I love octopus, but my husband who has worked on a prawn boat and dealt with the octopuses that get into the traps and don't get out in time, has told me stories that make me a little sad to eat them--they're so fascinating (and smart)!
view muse2323's profile
They are amazing creatures, and apartmenttherapy has a post about how they're the new "it" animal in home decor (I already have 4 octopus prints in my home).... if you live in Los Angeles and want an intro to the wonderful world of eating octopus, try Sushi Ike on the north-east corner of Hollywood Blvd and Gower. They do a grilled octopus that will blow your mind with it's acidity, tenderness, and perfect char. And James Spader eats there a few times a week!
view mangabanga's profile
@mangabanana - I have been to Sushi Ike and have seen James Spader there! True story.
view Kathryn Hill's profile
Yummy!
Here on Brazil we can eat takoyaki on streets of Liberdade, a japanese district of São Paulo. =)
view seiti's profile
Oh man...in Puerto Rico, we eat Ensalada de Pulpo (Octopus Salad). So good! It's eaten cold (after being cooked, of course) w/celery, onions, EVOO, olives, lemon juice, garlic....It's amazing.
view josue's profile
Love, love, love octopus! That said, I'm in the middle of the country, so when I can even find it octopus is definitely not cheap.
view Kakugori's profile
My uncle used to be a fisherman up in AK and when we'd go to his house when I was a kid he'd make octopus balls (I'm guessing similar to the Japanese ones), but I'm pretty sure he pan fried them. They were amazing!
view moncha's profile
Ike really does make wonderful octopus. I had to laugh because it is the first place that springs to mind when i saw that post.
view JudiAU's profile
AT is Octopus City today. Over on the design side of the site I saw two different postings with octopus subjects, and now this....
view Charlotte's profile
I've been teaching in Korea for almost two months now, and get school lunches every day. I would say one day out of three we have some variety of octopus or cuttlefish in our lunch. Usually this is in some sort of kimchi and tentacle soup, and I can't really get my tastebuds around it. I've had some interesting conversations with my coteachers about food and how limited a Western diet is - they find it hard to believe how many kinds of seafood and produce we just don't eat regularly.
view Pippienna's profile
I would not eat an octopus because they ARE intelligent and have personalities. I wince at the idea. Sorry.
view Keritha's profile
I'm not a huge fan of octopus in most dishes - the flavor is a bit too plain for me - but I do love takoyaki. The dancing bonito flakes on top make me giddy.
view confusednazgul's profile
Grilled octopus or squid is amaaaazing. And deep-fried squid tentacles dipped in some sweet chilli sauce is such a great snack.
view KidMoe's profile
@KidMoe boy that sounds good!
view Kathryn Hill's profile
I wanted to share this Most Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Recipe with you just for future reference please visit my website:http://spiganation.com/index.html
Linguine with Mussle or Clam recipe
http://spiganation.com/recipe_italian_food_006.htm
Ingredients:
Here is a little secret, go to your local supermarket and buy your dough already made and spread it with a roller pin till you have a 1/4" high dough pie.
9oz. Plum tomatoes from the can. Put into a container and add the rest of the ingredients into the container. Here is how you can do it.
Mix 3 table spoons Olive oil and two tablespoons of Oregano one-teaspoon salt and a sprinkle of black pepper
1lb Ovolini fresh mozzarella cheese balls
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
Fresh Basil to be added in the end.
Turn your oven to 450 degree Fahrenheit let heat up for ten minutes and make sure you have one of the metal grids out before you heat the oven.
Place aluminum foil to the surface of the grid and spread some oil on the foil.
Place pizza dough on to the foil and spread your tomato and all the rest of the ingredients. The Basil you ad in the end before you bake the Pizza for 12 to 15 minutes till your crust looks golden brown. Enjoy
view massimo345's profile
Hi there everyone. You know, here in Portugal, octopus is a major national dish. Usually we prefer it deep fried ( in a dough, similar to Tempura), with rice or simply grilled with olive oil, a bit of garlic, a splash of vinegar and parsley on top. I know it may seem a strange thing to eat, but try it, it is absoluletely delicious. ;)
view pipoca's profile
@pipoca thanks - that sounds scrumptious!
view Kathryn Hill's profile