Seared Octopus
It’s like once you figure out your approach to cooking it, the rest is just observation.
And it was fucking fascinating.Let me see if I can try and break this thing down.Because the first thing you think is, how the fuck am I supposed to cook this shit?
You hit up Google and there’s like thousands of articles on how to cook it, the consensus being to cook it on low heat for a long time.
But then there’s the issue of preserving the natural flavor.
I won’t get into all of it here because someone else already did over here.
But basically, boiling it tends to rid it of its natural flavor.
Brining it breaks down the fibrous texture quicker than boiling but also doesn’t do much for the flavor.
Steaming it with a pressure cooker seemed like a good way to go but – of course I don’t own a fucking pressure cooker.
But then I found out that like mussels & clams, octopus also releases its own juices when heated which meant I could self-braise it.
YESSSS.
Looking for tenderness and natural preservation of flavor – this was it.
This was the goddamn jackpot.
Before I self-braised the octopus, I blanched it in hot water for about 30 secs.
And as soon as I did this it went from it’s colorless long, limp state to almost a rigid state with the tentacles immediately curling up in this beautiful shade of purple.
I don’t know why but I thought this was so freaking neat.
I just get the biggest kick out of watching food transform.
Seared Octopus
What I Used
2-4lb Fresh or Thawed Octopus. 1 cup Olive Oil. 1 tbsp Garlic Powder. 1 tbsp Crushed Red Pepper. Salt. Pepper. 2 Bay Leaves. 1 tbsp Minced Garlic. 1 small handful Assorted Fresh Greens.
What I Did
Pre-heat the oven to 200F.
Thoroughly rinse and pat-dry the octopus.
Fill a large pot with enough water to completely immerse the octopus in.
Place it over high heat, salt the water and bring to a boil.
When the salted water is boiling, immerse the entire octopus in it and let it sit in the hot water for 30 seconds.
Remove from the boiling water and place in a baking dish.
See what 30 seconds of hot water does?
Drizzle the olive oil over the octopus and season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, minced garlic & the bay leaves.
It’s ok to be generous with the seasoning.
Cover the baking dish and place in the oven.
Bake at 275F for 1.5 hours or until the thickest part of the octopus is tender when pierced with a fork.
The bake time may vary based on how your oven heats.
When tender, remove the octopus from the baking dish a place on a cutting board to rest.
Pour the remaining liquid into a sauce pan and boil down over a med flame.
When the liquid has reduced to a slightly thick sauce, remove from heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, when the octopus is warm enough to handle, cut the tentacles from the skirt (where the tentacles meet the head).
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over a med-high flame and saute the tentacles until either side is golden brown, slightly crispy.
Serve with a small green salad, spooning the flavorful sauce on top of the octopus.
Very cool !!!
😀 😀 😀
GAK! Not my favorite thing in the world. Photos are awesome though. I probably would have delighted in watching it cook up though. Die Octipi Die!
Hahahahaha!!!
So cool! I love octopus but don’t know if I could cook it. I can do squid but octopus sounds intense. You’re the real deal Dana! Hope you had a nice thanksgiving. I was up
In Boston, it was so warm and I loved it! xx
It wassss!
So glad you guys were here for Thanksgiving!
We even managed to play outside 😀
So cool! I love octopus but don’t know if I could cook it. I can do squid but octopus sounds intense. You’re the real deal Dana! Hope you had a nice thanksgiving. I was up
In Boston, it was so warm and I loved it! xx
It was pretty intense but only because of its size, you know?
It’s like lobster (which freaks me the fuck out more than anything because they’re still alive and moving around) – once it’s in the pot, you’re safe.
Everything is good again lol
❤ ❤ ❤
That looks super eery but totally delicious! There’s this crazy Korean movie where he’s eating a live octopus (which is common there) and the octopus like fights back and grabs his face. It’s insane. Glad this one is cooked.
Danika Maia
http://www.danikamaia.com/nyc-through-filters
http://www.instagram.com/danikamaia
Dude, thank GOD you didn’t share that story before I started cooking this thing.
I was freaked out enough as is, jesus christ.
I commend you on even touching that thing lol but post cooking it’s not scary at all. It’s a masterpiece. And such pretty plating, too!
Exaaaactly.
You just gotta get pack the raw state.
I just kept repeating, “It’s already dead, it’s already dead”
Hahaha yes, the mantra.
Wooooaaaaaahhhhhhhh. You’ve outdone yourself.
*double fist pump*
I couldn’t dare eat Octopus when all my boys tried it last summer in Kefalinia. They said it was delicious.
Me : I won’t be trying it anytime soon☺☺
You did great with it and presentation is on point👌👌
Well done you.
Mojisola
http://www.mojintouch.com
Thank you so much Mojisola!
I admire the bravery in your boys!!
Wow, the whole process looks pretty cool. And I must say the colour of the blanched octopus is really pretty. The closest I’ve come to eating octopus is calamari…does that count? Lol!
xo, Jackie
stylemydreams.com
Yup – that counts!!
👊🏾 Yes!
lol, BAM!
You are my hero. As if your blog couldn’t get any cooler. Cooking an octopus was on my bucket list this year but I never ended up going it. It’s so fascinating to see the transformation. Well done you. Wish I did it first. 😀
It is right?
Just watching this big ass freaky thing curl up into a polite red ball, lol.
So cool, so cool 😀
And you can definitely still do it.
C’mon – you’re the queen of transforming food and there’s like a whole month left before the end of the year…
Do itttttt.
So cool. I’ll think about it. Thanks for the encouragement!
Love you cookie face 😀
Sweetie cookie faaaaaaace!
Though your Octopus looks yummy but there is no way I’m going to try anything other than fish, shrimp and crab. LOL!
I remember when I ate squid by mistake at a wedding. The server came to our table to ask what everyone wanted and my brother suggested I tried Calamari. I had always seen Calamari on menus but I never cared for it so I never asked what it is. So I told the server to bring me calamari. My siblings and I began discussing seafood so I told them I will never try squid and octopus. They stared at me for a moment as I chowed down on my third calamari before my brother blurted out,”You just had squid fool.” Everyone began laughing. LMBO!
Hahahahahaha!!!
I love it!!
Very cool Cake, it’s been years since I cooked octopus from scratch. Photos are brill.
*small bow
I am fascinated! Look at this!! I’ve never had it like this. Only tiny small ones fried. Those little dudes were rubbery and it felt like they were grabbing my tonsil begging me not to swallow. This looks much better. You go girl!!!
Ooohhh, that sound rough (no pun intended) 😀
But to your point, it really was SO FREAKIN FASCINATING.
It was kinda like making an edible experiment lol
Very impressive I must say . I have always wanted to cook octopus but I was so afraid that it would be too tough or tasteless but that really looks good how you did it. I’m curious, what did you do with the main body of the octopus? Hope that didn’t get tossed out ?
Nope, that got sliced up and eaten too.
And in order to make them tough you have to actually OVERCOOK them.
Basically it’s fairly hard to screw up, especially when you’re cooking them on low heat.
I’m not cool enough to eat octopus lol. You go boo!
Awww, you guys are giving Octopus a bad rap.
I love how you prepared the dish! It’s one of my favorites!
Thank you so much! I actually wouldn’t mind making it again.
It’s incredible how much they shrink when cooked!
I love your overview, but I hate octopus and their face!
lol, why you gotta hate them tho?
Yall got history? 😀
I love everything you do – but this, I have to draw the line, lol!
Hahahaha, ok, ok – I’ll allow it 😀
As much as my allergy to octopus will kill me, i will always remember how good it tasted…this looks so good girl!
Aw thank you!!
I’m so sorry you’re allergic 😦
Wish I’d seen this 5 months ago! My friends and I were in a seaside town in Croatia for our Summer holiday and we also bought an octopus which we first blanched and then threw on the barbecue: it was chewy as fuck, haha! Your version looks a lot more appealing though 😉
Hahahaha! Aww, you poor things.
Yeah I don’t understand those recipes that are like, “blanch it then grill it and that’s it!!”
Like – that’s not how it works, haha.
It’s like cooking a pork shoulder or a whole chicken, something meaty.
A quick turn in hot water and then the grill is not going to make it tender.
That shit needs to be slow cooked with love 😀
Just whoa!
Right!?
Someone would have to prepare it for me…I can’t.
I got you Lizzie 🙂
Reading this was like experiencing a really cool science experiment!! Love the way you write and how enthusiastic you were about that octopus!! Now I’m hungry lol.
Hahaha, it was pretty much like a science experiment.
Now I wanna cook more cool, freaky shit, haha
The pictures and your descriptions are great! I have not prepared octopus by myself yet, but your recipe makes it seem not too difficult. What did you do with the rest of the octopus after cutting the tentacles off?
It’s really not difficult.
I think Octopus just gets a bad rap in general because it’s so fucking freaky looking.
I sliced the rest of it and had it with some grilled potatoes for dinner.
The whole thing is pretty much edible, the tentacles just make for a pretty presentation.
Whoa! This is so impressive! Well done! Very easy to follow and well-researched. I really like octopus, but have only made it once. I’d love to do this in a nice red wine balsamic vinegar braise. It’s great for parties if you have some adventurous eaters. I love that you did this! The photos (once cooked) are awesome 🙂
Heehee!!
Thank you Amanda, this was so much fun I can’t even describe it!
love it …. and really really good photos
Thank you so much 🙂
What a transformation!
Right!?
Loved every sec of it, haha
Shit! I’m impressed. Well done m’lady. Looks amazeballs!
Oh girl, you should have absolutely been here!
I’m so sorry I didn’t call you ❤ ❤
I made calamari from whole squid twice and once I got the hang of it I thought it was really fun! Do you have to pull out that clear back-bone thing in an octopus too? And push out all that goo?
That’s awesome!!!
Never done squid, I feel like I could now though!
And no – the octopus came pre-cleaned. They really only sell them like that these days, which is very nice for us the consumer 😀
Huh. Who would have thought? Octopus is easier to deal with than squid. Totally would have thought the opposite.
From the pics, it looks like you just cut the head and stuff off after cooking, which would make it easier to deal with than squid.
It’s really just the head.
And I treated it the same way, except I sliced it up and had it with some roasted potatoes.
Looks awesome, try it with chorizo next time. Always a winner!
Good call, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, thank you!
I don’t think I would be this brave to cook an octopus, but hats off to you. Very impressive! Nice pics.
Much appreciated lady :*
This looks awesome Dana! Might have to try!
Thank you so much Ashley, I hope you do!
Very interesting but hell no lol. I just couldn’t…. it’s was too alien looking and I am still mortified about accidently eating squid thinking it was onion rings. Ahhhhhhhhhhh… i could pull my tongue out just thinking of it LOL. But your pics are always stunning. Xo
It does look like a goddamm alien doesn’t it?
Hahaha!!