Octopus

How does one clean one?

Anyone have any good simple recipes?

I don't really know how to clean an octopus, as I usually just buy them a tentacle at a time, already boiled. The dish I really like to make with it is a version of Tako-su, Japanese octopus salad. I played around with some variations on the recipe and came up with this:

- 1 octopus tentacle
- red onion
- cucumber
- lemon
- sweetened rice vinegar
- soy sauce
- sesame oil
- sesame seeds

Thinly slice the octopus, then do the same with cucumber and red onion. In a separate bowl, mix mostly vinegar with a little soy sauce, juice from a lemon, and a dash of sesame oil (hot sesame oil will add a little extra body). Add that to the octopus mix and let it marinate a few minutes, then drain off most of the liquid and serve sprinkled with sesame seeds.

(Sorry there aren't any exact amounts, I usually just do it all to taste.)

I wish I knew the answer to both of these questions.

When I was in Italy last summer, I ordered the polpi (octopus) at a restaurant in Florence. It arrived on my plate whole and lightly cooked, which was not a surprise because I had seen it served on another plate. Mrs. Ro, who is not a seafood lover, inquired, "Sorry to have to ask this, but when you look down at your plate, does that look appetizing to you?" Honestly, I answered no, but I had already taken the first couple of bites and it tasted so exquisite that I was way past the idea that it was going to climb off my plate and attach its tentacles to my face. So tender, so flavorful, and very simply prepared.

I dearly wish I could reproduce that octopus, so I will watch this thread with interest.

Keep eating,
J. Ro

http://www.tsuji.ac.jp/hp/gihou/Basic_Techniques/japan/Oct_Sq_Cut/octopus/tako1.htm

This site presents a good explanation w/ photos. Cleaning squid and octopus is sort of a pain, in my experience. Maybe someone at Dirk's or Isaacson's or wherever can do it.

Anyway, one secret to good octopus is beating the crap out of it first. Greek, Italian and other fishermen often fling the critters against rocks on shore. I saw a TV show about Greek restaurants recently in which one Greek chef had an old (clothes) washing machine in the kitcken for agitating the cephalopods.

Beyond that, I'd keep in mind that octopus, squid, cuttlefish, etc., need to be very lightly cooked (e.g., quickly deep fried), or very well-cooked (e.g., long-cooked in a stew or rice dish).

Being a big octopus fan myself, I can think of no better treatment than a simple olive oil/lemon/oregano/garlic marinade and a few minutes on a very hot grill over hardwood charcoal. On the other hand, maybe the best I've ever had came hacked up in a long-cooked sweetish curry using papaya as the secret ingredient, whose digestion-enhancing enzymes apparently turn rubber to butter. Good luck.

JeffB wrote: Being a big octopus fan myself, I can think of no better treatment than a simple olive oil/lemon/oregano/garlic marinade and a few minutes on a very hot grill over hardwood charcoal.

Amen.

Santorini does it this way with considerable success.

A

One of my favorite street foods from Japan is tako-yaki: pieces of octopus surrounded by some kind of rice-dough and deep fried, then covered in oyster sauce and Japanese mayonnaise. They come in egg-cartons by the half dozen w/toothpicks to eat them. Yum...

Don't suppose I could score some of those anywhere around here?

Had the octopod at Santorini a week ago at lunch and it was overdone quite seriously. I complained, but didn't have time to wait for another. Got comped it, really only the largest pieces were edible, some of it was halfway to charcoal. I've always been pleased with it there before, and they were gracious about it.....

I had a really good octopus dish at Tra Vigne in Napa about 7 years ago that I've always been tempted to try to reproduce, but never have. I don't know the recipe but I think you could fake it because all it was was a lightly fried calamari that had mustard added to the batter. The mustard flavor in the crust gave it that Mediterranean robustness that usually you end up dipping fried calamari in some kind of tomatoey sauce to achieve.

Annieb:

That's not good about the burning but at least they were decent about trying to rectify the situation. When I've had the grilled octopus there, it was really good and done in the simple fashion JeffB describes hereabove.

Too bad those bulbous octopods are so smart... adds a little guilt for me to their consumption...

A

By the way, any body out there have an experience-based opinion on the cork in the broth schtick? I've never cooked octopus myself... afraid to bring them home lest they outsmart me...

Some years ago I visited one of the Fulton Market fish purveyors and saw them tenderizing the octopus in an old wringer washer, agitating baby octopi in a brine solution.

For over 20 years I have purchased baby octopus from Isaacson & Stein, cleaned them (an easy job, way easier than squid) and given them a marinade of your basic mediterranean stuff. I find they are a lot easier to cook on the grill, and a lot less trouble, in terms of tenderizing, than a larger octopus. They end up so beautiful in color and form you might want to make them into a brooch.

Larger octopods are good for a classic Italian seafood salad, but need to be cooked the long way.

Thanks.
Ann

Sweet Willie wrote:How does one clean one?

Anyone have any good simple recipes?

Here's a tutorial for smoking one.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/octopus.html

Antonius,

Don't know about the cork in the broth, but in the north of Spain they throw a cigar butt in with the anguillas, I think. I haven't eaten them, partly for financial reasons partly because I have heard they are quite endangered.

I've never purchased or cooked octopus but I'm ready to try. I've seen whole octopi at Dirk's for $8 - $9 a pound but I imagine there are cheaper sources around, what with the Greek and Korean affinity for the cephalopod. Any particular markets to check? Athens? The Korean market on Kimball or the one on Kedzie?

I'm also curious how them come. Will I need to remove eyes, beaks or any other strange biological mechanisms? I've read about removing "skin from the hood" ... as perverse or drag-racer-esque as that sounds, I can't remember any details. Any advise is greatly appreciated. If it makes a difference, I'm going to do some sort of Greek preparation that involves a very long marinating period.

Many thanks,

rien

Hah--I was just pointing out the frozen ones at Produce World at Dempster and Waukegan to my wife on Saturday. Alas, she had no interest. I'm not sure of the price, but suspect it is cheaper than Dirks.

Both of the Korean markets Rien mentioned carry octopus. Most of the better Mexican markets do, too. The Cermak Produce on Kedzie carries beautiful octopus at much lower prices than Dirks. I drool over it every time we are at the fish counter while getting dirty looks from wife along the line of don't you dare even if you cook it.

It has been so many years since I cooked octopus that I no longer remember the details of cleaning. It wasn't difficult and was fairly obvious once you cut in.

I have seen them in the meat/fish case at Tony's on Elston.

Many thanks. The Cermak produce and the Korean markets are both very convenient from my abode in Logan Square ... hmm, there's also a Tony's West on Fullerton I can check.

Thanks again.

rien

First time poster here. DH and I went to Sabatino's for his birthday last week, based upon the rave reviews here on LTH. Very successful dinner. Especially the grilled octopus appetizer.

DH is Spanish and adores octopus. We tried some from a little hispanic market when we lived in Logan Square, but it turned out tough and almost inedible. I'm willing to accept 75% of the blame for ham fisted preparation. We were trying the traditional steamed version from Galicia. http://cgi.vianetworks.es/~carrion1/mod ... tent&id=13

We now live in Berwyn. Any suggestions as to where to find fresh octopus? And once found and purchased - hints on preparation?

Thank you.

Hi,

I've seen baby Octopus on Argyle. Check this thread out for shopping and prep ideas.

They usually have it at the fish counter at Caputo's on Harlem.

I've heard that the rule of thumb for cooking octopus is either less than 3 minutes or over 30 minutes. Anywhere in between those two times and your octopus will be rubbery. Ming Tsai mentioned that on one of his episodes.

Never done it myself, but I was recently sent a recipe link for Freddy's Insalata di Mare from Check Please. I notice it has an overnight soak to help tenderize the octopus.

Now that you're in Berwyn, you might also check Freddy's for your seafood needs. It will be frozen, not fresh, but my understanding is that most of the "fresh" seafood in stores is just defrosted, not really fresh from the boat, as it were, so you might as well do the defrosting yourself.

Freezing octopus is one of the methods for tenderizing it. Some purveyors tenderize octopus by agitating in brine. I once saw this being done in an old fashioned wringer washer.

Of course, there is also this method.

I noticed both frozen baby octopus and frozen grown-up octopus today at Sunburst Seafood, 957 Howard, (just west of Ridge) Evanston. They're primarily a wholesaler - all frozen seafood - but they opened this small retail spot about a year ago. And, at least on some items, it seems like they're willing to deal, although their regular prices are already pretty good. I'm thawing some rainbow trout for tonight ...

Unfortunately, the staff seems to have a used-car-salesman technique, so be forewarned. But there are still good deals to be found there.

Mario Batali swears by the cork method - he adds a wine cork to whatever liquid he's blanching the octo in. (The Babbo cookbook also has an oven roasted version sans liquid but with cork). Nobody is quite sure why it works but it seems to be the most consistent in generating tender results.

I've always simmered it in heavily salted water till you can pull off a leg w/little effort . make sure to cool it in its cooking liquid , then just slide off the skin w/your fingers . The cork does as much as stirring your risotto counter clockwise does.

I buy octopus (polpo) at either Joseph's Foods on W. Irving Park Rd or one of the fish stores on Harlem Ave. Octopus, like the other major edible cephalopods, benefits from either very short (a few minutes) or very long (45 minutes to an hour) cooking. Anything in between and you'll be chewing on rubber bands. Freezing does indeed improve the texture of octopus, but, I think, at a cost to flavor. Fresh tastes better, but is a little chewier.

For a relatively authentic Neapolitan 'a nsalata 'e mare, I recommend some combination of octopus, cuttlefish (seppia), squid (calimare), mussels, clams, and shrimp. I tend to go just with the octopus and maybe one other cephalopod. Boil whole cephalopods in salted water for 3-5 minutes. The bivalves (exteriors cleaned, but left in shells) for a minute or two (alternatively, you can toss them in a hot, covered sautee pan until they open, then dump them in with the rest of the completed salad). Likewise the shrimp. Drain and immediately plunge in an icewater bath to cool for ten minutes. Chop the cephalopoda into bite-size pieces, then marinate everything amply in the best olive oil you can afford (I prefer a Sicilian oil for this dish), the best young celery you can find (optional), broadleaf parsley, some minced garlic (again, optional), salt, and perhaps some hot red pepper. Lemon is optional, in my view, but authentic. Let everything marinate together for a few hours and, as G Wiv commands, "Enjoy."

As much as I like Freddy's, I've never liked their insalata di mare: they cook it too long.

Hungry Lazzarone

Choey wrote:Chop the cephalopoda into bite-size pieces, then marinate everything amply in the best olive oil you can afford (I prefer a Sicilian oil for this dish), the best young celery you can find (optional), broadleaf parsley, some minced garlic (again, optional), salt, and perhaps some hot red pepper. Lemon is optional, in my view, but authentic. Let everything marinate together for a few hours and, as G Wiv commands, "Enjoy."

As much as I like Freddy's, I've never liked their insalata di mare: they cook it too long.

The celery is an interesting addition that I do not think I've had in this dish. I, too, was turned off by Freddy's version, not from overcooking but from a general lack of flavor. It could stand the addition of a little celery.

Best,
Michael

Michael, the best version of this dish I ever had, which I try to emulate in my own recipe, was fifteen years ago at a small restaurant on the road just outside of Cuma, northwest of Naples; indeed, the last possible place to stop before reaching the site of ancient Cuma. I arrived a little after lunch to find the owner preparing his restaurant for a large family gathering in the early evening. He agreed to feed me only if I would be content with whatever the chef wanted to make. The first dish they put in front of me, an insalata di mare, was, like most southern Italian food, simple and based on the freshest ingredients. The chef combined the day's catch of octopus with a few small shrimp, the tiniest clams, and beautiful, fresh celery. I think the herb was a mix of celery leaf and broadleaf parsley. I drank a Falanghina, followed by un caffe, and then departed to visit the cave of the Cumean Sibyl. The cave of the Sibyl and insalata di mare will always be connected in my memory.