Two dinners of impeccably humble octopus. First experience
The octopus is one large muscle. The larger the octopus, the tougher the meat. To make the meat of this cephalopod soft, juicy and tender, it must be properly cleaned and prepared.
Instructions
A fresh octopus should have firm flesh, a sea fishy smell, a brown skin color, and the white of the eyes should be transparent and white. It is recommended to purchase octopuses weighing up to a kilogram, they have more tender and softer meat.
Rinse octopus under running water, sort through each tentacle, remove all sand and dirt.
Cut off the head slightly below the eyes, remove the tentacles, set them aside. Cut off the eyes, use a knife to clean out the cavity of the carcass. Press out the beak with force, cut it out and discard it. Rinse well the inside and outside of the head cleaned from the insides.
Fresh skin octopus very difficult to remove. Therefore, chefs often leave it until they are cooked. If you still want to remove your skin, cook octopus in water for 5-10 minutes, cool it, and then remove the skin from the cold carcass.
Now octopus can be cooked or frozen for storage. Experienced chefs recommend always freezing the carcass. octopus before, it substantially softens tough muscle meat. Put peeled octopus in the freezer and leave for at least a day, but better for 2-3 days. Water contained in the muscle structure octopus, turning into ice, will expand, tearing nerves and rigid fibers. To unfreeze octopus, it is enough to put it in the refrigerator for 6-10 hours.
From octopus you can cook a huge number of dishes. This meat goes well with onions, garlic, tomatoes, lemon, olive oil, rice, wine and soy sauce. Not only is octopus great in salads, it's great as a main course. For example, try making a kebab from octopus or stew it in red wine.
note
Octopuses are very helpful. Properly cooked octopus meat is a source of calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, iron, selenium and a huge amount of vitamins.
Octopus. I still can't sit down and tell about my recent acquaintance with him.
Below is a photo of how to cut an octopus and two ways to cook an octopus.
I never held it alive in my hands, but there was a recent post in the bookmarks (yeah. In August) trio_mia
about this handsome man, and I decided not to look for something new, but to use exactly what was already in the chosen one.
So. First you need to remove the eyes - it's easy. 
The sharp knife and eyes were gone. Next is the "beak". Simple too. Two notches and it's already available for review. He's so funny! 
I should have removed the ink bag too, but I couldn't find it. Well, I looked through everything and did not find it. Somewhere he was obviously hiding, because then the broth turned colored!
Nevertheless, I prepared everything for cooking. 
Coarsely chopped carrots, onions, lemon, filled with water and put on fire. I’ve read “take a big pot”. Well, I took a big one…. But not as big as it should be. Let me explain. You need a HIGH, not a wide pan, because ... all this jelly-like octopus at high temperatures comes in tone, the tentacles twist beautifully, the head (which I did not cut off) acquires a firm roundness and rises vertically. So in the water, he just simply "got up" and stood with his head stuck out above the water among floating carrots and yellow barrels of lemon. Here I cut off his head))) 
When the water boiled, I put the octopus in there and lowered it.
Well, and so he safely boiled over a low fire for an hour, after which he was left to swim in the same water until the next evening.
The next evening, when I saw his color, I began to think that somewhere there was his ink, which I did not find. Well, nothing, I washed it from this color. I began to look a little more decent. I cut off a piece. I tried it. I expected that there would be enough rubber, but no. Soft, pleasantly toned, without harsh taste and smell. Neutral, yet recognizable taste. 
I cut it in two and started making two recipes.
So. I had half the octopus already cooked.
I peeled and cut 4 potatoes. 
Cut them into medium cubes and fry until crisp. 
In the meantime, I cut the octopus 
an onion, a clove of garlic, 
several sprigs of parsley and chopped into two pieces of dried white bread. 
When the potatoes were ready, I added all the ingredients, and literally heated them in a pan for half a minute, salt, a mixture of 5 freshly ground peppers and a bit of lemon juice. 
That was more than interesting. Firstly, potatoes with bread crumbs - already interesting, lightly fried parsley (this technique is somehow little used and more recently I read in one book of the late 18th century about French cuisine that fried parsley was very much even used in the kitchen of that time, now with with the help of a microwave and food film, chips are made from leaves), the sourness of lemon and among this the taste of the octopus is not lost. 
The dish went off with a bang, especially considering the more than fastidious taste of my sister, who does not use half of my dishes)))
Repeat and repeat - just give an octopus)))
The second half of the octopus stayed for dinner on the second day.
I pickled it. 
Chopped parsley, chopped 1 clove of garlic, squeezed half a lemon, added olive oil, salt, pepper and pieces of octopus. Into the container and until the next evening.
He was clearly asking for white wine. Such cold, dry and toasted pieces of bread. 
My conclusion is logical - everything is simpler than it seems and there are so many interesting things around that I will have enough for a couple of lives and a dozen stomachs. And the octopus for me is impeccably modest and pleasantly caresses the sky with its tenderness, without bothering my jaws with long chewing.
Want an octopus? Come visit me with him. In my bookmarks there are already 4 recipes with him in the lead role)))) 
Do you think exotic octopus meat tastes fabulous only in the dishes of high-end restaurant chefs? Don't underestimate your abilities! Believe me, everyone can cook delicious octopus at home. You just need a little patience, skills and knowledge of a few secrets. We will talk about them further.
Only fresh!
If you are offered chilled or fresh shellfish, look at these quality indicators:
- transparent eyes (no matter how creepy it may sound);
- shiny brownish skin;
- when feeling the skin remains intact;
- light fishy aroma (intense indicates staleness).
The taste of an octopus dish depends on the original size of the shellfish. Only experienced cooks can handle large individuals (body size over 60 cm, weight over 1.5 kg), so for home cooking it is better to take medium-sized and small shellfish. They are sold in their entirety, so it is easier to choose them.
How to properly prepare frozen octopuses
Experienced cooks know how to cook frozen octopus. Without the proper skills, it is better to defrost it first. After removing the packaging, the meat is placed in a saucepan or deep bowl and thawed at room temperature.
Do not pour it with cold water to speed up the process - a lot of useful substances will escape from the meat. It is categorically impossible to use hot water - it loses its delicate taste.
When the meat becomes soft, it is thrown into a colander, allowed to drain, then cut and cooked according to any recipe for fresh shellfish.
How to butcher an octopus
The mollusk is a solid muscle that is eaten. But he also has inedible organs. They must be carefully removed using the following algorithm:
- We thoroughly rinse each tentacle under running water, removing dirt, sand, and mucus. The latter is problematic to remove from young individuals, but if it remains, the meat will become salty or bitter in taste. The mucus is scraped off with a knife or removed with a coarse cloth during rinsing, and then rub each tentacle well with salt.
- Use a knife to separate the tentacles from the head just below the eyes, then remove the eyes themselves, the ink sac, and the beak. Rinse the meat again.
- It is almost impossible to remove the skin immediately, it is recommended to scald the meat with boiling water and then peel it. Can be blanched in boiling acidified or salted water and peeled hot.
- Then wash thoroughly again, beat off and cut into small pieces.
We take in parts
Separate tentacles of the TM NUCHAR octopus can also be found on sale. Chilled or frozen - the rules for their selection remain the same. Outwardly, their skin should be shiny, brownish, without damage. If black spots, tears are visible on it, it separates from the meat, most likely, the tentacles were stored incorrectly.
Press down on the tentacle and see how quickly the surface recovers - a fresh one must return to its original state. A pungent fishy smell indicates staleness of the meat.
Cleaning and preparing the tentacles follows the same rules as for a whole octopus. It is important to carefully beat off the meat before cooking, since large tentacles are taken from large individuals, whose meat is not as tender as that of young ones.
If you don't have time for processing, buy the TM NUCHAR octopus, which is pickled in its own juice and is almost ready to eat. For cooking, the limbs are crushed: cut into circles, cubes, slices.
Grilling octopus
Once cleaned, the meat can be baked in the oven or on the grill. For this simple and quick recipe, take small octopuses, but adult slices are fine too. You will need olive oil, garlic, and lemon.
The grilled octopus takes about 10 minutes to cook. Coat the meat with oil, put it on a preheated grill. When it is browned, turn it over to the other side. After the appearance of a gentle blush - remove.
Grilled octopus is served with a sauce of grated garlic, olive oil, squeezed lemon juice.
We cook quickly, but carefully!
Almost all recipes suggest using boiled meat. But first you need to remember: we cook the octopus only in fresh water! It actively absorbs salt, which makes it hard, almost rubbery.
Another important point in the question of how to cook the tentacles of an octopus or a whole mollusk: the method and time of cooking. It is only necessary to lower them into boiling water with the tentacles forward: as soon as the submerged tentacles twist, completely lower the mollusc. Depending on the size, cook it for 7-10 minutes, otherwise the meat will become tough. If you miss this moment, you will have to leave it to cook for at least an hour. The finished meat is removed and allowed to cool.
The same rule gives an answer to the question of how to cook small octopuses. The only difference is that the cooking time is minimal. Baby octopuses are often used for salads. How to cook an octopus in this case? 800 g of finished meat is mixed with 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic, a third cup of olive oil and left in a cold place for a couple of hours. Then lettuce leaves, sliced sweet peppers, herbs are spread in a salad bowl, and the top is covered with pickled octopuses. The final touch is to sprinkle the salad with lemon juice.
For cooking, you can use medium-sized shellfish. But then you need to cut the tentacles so that there is a sucker on each piece. This makes the salad look prettier.
How to fry octopuses
For a fried dish, a medium-sized shellfish is usually taken: pre-boiled (about 5 minutes) and then diced. A mixture of several cloves of garlic, lemon juice (to taste), olive oil is prepared separately.
This octopus recipe calls for frying pieces of meat in a preheated skillet over high heat, draining the water it lets out. After that, add the prepared mixture and fry again until all the water has evaporated (about 10-15 minutes). Before removing the meat from the heat, add pepper, oregano or any greens to your taste. The finished dish is laid out on plates and served hot.
The octopus can be stewed!
When looking for an octopus dish with a photo, you probably came across incredibly mouth-watering images of amazing dishes. One of the best combinations is clam meat and beans. To prepare the dish, first soak, and then boil a glass of beans in clean water (about an hour). During this time, clam meat (2 kg) is prepared: peeled and boiled with the addition of 1 onion and a tablespoon of vegetable oil (6 minutes).
While the beans are cooking, prepare the vegetable base in a saucepan or saucepan. In butter or lard, fry the onion (1 onion), carrots (3 medium size), garlic (half a head), cut into slices. When they are brown enough, pour in half a glass of dry white wine, olive oil (6 tablespoons) and bring to a boil. Cut the finished meat into pieces and place together with the beans in the boiling mixture. Pepper to taste (you can use a mixture of peppers), salt, mix well and cook over low heat for another 15 minutes. After placing the dish on a plate, decorate with herbs.
Cooking young octopuses is not limited to these recipes. It is only important to properly wash, peel and boil the meat. Everything else is a matter of your imagination.
Octopuses in the cuisines of the world
Clam meat is familiar to the cuisines of Asia and Europe. It is used in seafood cocktails for making soups, salads. Squid will be an ideal companion in such mixes. Greens, vegetables, legumes, as well as wine vinegar, olive oil and soy sauce go well with octopuses.
More often than not, the octopus is simply boiled. The Portuguese love to cook meat in batter, the Chinese pour all sorts of sauces on it, the Japanese combine it with seaweed, rice and wasabi. Italians prefer roasting and braising, preferably with wine. Prepared meat is usually served with vegetables. The most extravagant way of consumption is accepted by Koreans - they eat shellfish alive!
Whole body octopus is one large muscle. It is for this reason that, in order for the meat to turn out soft and tender, preparation of the octopus requires a special procedure.
So we have fresh octopus... It should have firm flesh and a slight fishy smell, its skin should be brown and shiny, and the white part of the eye should certainly be large and transparent (as a rule, it is better cook octopuses about a kilogram in weight, they have more tender meat). Octopus wash well under running water, touching each tentacle to remove all residues that might remain in them, remove the insides. Thoroughly clean your head and wash well inside and out.
Preparation of the octopus
Under the skin octopus there is a complex muscular membrane, consisting of five layers of muscle fibers that overlap with each other. The strength of the tissues is ensured by the tight fit and complex interlacing of the structural elements of the muscles, and during cooking, these muscles contract. There are two ways to avoid this.
The first way consists in freezing octopus before cooking (you can beat it off to soften the octopus, but freezing is more effective). Put clean octopus in the freezer and leave for at least 24 hours (preferably 2-3 days). Octopus contains enough water and it, turning into ice, tending to expand, breaks the nerves and fibers. To thaw, you just need to leave octopus in the refrigerator (in the same way defrost octopus(if you bought it already frozen, so it is advisable to buy it a day earlier, at least).
Second way probably the most famous is " scare the octopus". How to scare an octopus? It is necessary to quickly, holding the octopus by the head, about five or six times, lower it into boiling water and only then finally lower it into the water and cook. Due to the sharp temperature drop, collagen (the basis of the body's connective tissue) is destroyed and the result is softer and more tender meat (when heated, collagen has the property of denaturation, the triple helix unwinds, the chains are separated, then when the denatured mass of entangled chains cools down, it absorbs the entire surrounding water, forming gelatin).
Cooked octopus
Is always boil the octopus in a large wide saucepan, so that it is completely covered with water, without salt, with the addition of bay leaves, onions, a clove of garlic (do not peel, only crush with a knife), cloves and peppercorns for a rich taste octopus(although this is optional).
As soon as the water boils, "frighten" the octopus and cook with the potatoes (put a medium potato for 1.5 kg of octopus).
When the potatoes are boiled, turn off the heat and leave the octopus in water for about 25 minutes. To test the readiness, you can pierce the top of the tentacle with a fork, and if the fork easily enters, the octopus is ready. Remove it from the water.
Final preparation of the octopus
Now you need to finish cleaning. Cut off the part of the body with the head between the bag and the tentacles and discard. Extrude and cut out the octopus's chewing organ located between the tentacles.
If you still don't know how to clean and cook an octopus, then this is the place for you.
Even the Romans and ancient Greeks were very fond of octopuses and constantly hunted them. Love has passed through the centuries and now the inhabitants of the Mediterranean, despite all the wealth of choice, are happy to devour octopuses in any form. Salted, dried, fresh, and boiled shellfish are beneficial, especially with olive oil. There is a lot of protein in octopus, and besides that, they strengthen the cardiovascular system well.
Small to medium sized octopuses are usually sold whole and are easier to choose. As strange as it may sound, the octopus is chosen by its eyes. They are, so to speak, a mirror of its quality. A good and edible shellfish should have clear eyes. A large individual is butchered and on the counters you can see only tentacles, which, of course, have no eyes. Here it is worth focusing on skin color. It should have a shiny, beautiful brown color. Such a product can be taken without hesitation. But the octopus, which has black spots on the ends of the tentacles and those whose skin is torn, it is better not to buy. They are either not fresh or not stored properly.
He loves to cook octopuses in Asia and Europe. In Asian cuisine, shellfish are often just boiled. Boiled tentacles are the base of most salads and snacks.
Before boiling, the tentacles are washed in water, preferably running water, then they are poured with cold water and only after boiling the water are boiled for 5 to 10 minutes. The time depends on the size of the octopus. It is very important that the shellfish cool in the same water in which it was cooked. The chilled octopus is taken out of the container, peeled and cooked according to the recipe you like.
In Mediterranean cuisine, the ink sac is first removed from the octopus. However, it is not thrown away. Ink can be used in many recipes too. Even the beak and eyes are removed. And after that, the carcass is washed in water, even beaten off with an ordinary meat hammer, and cut into small pieces. More often in this kitchen, octopuses are simply fried in olive oil, and then stewed with vegetables and with the addition of wine.
How to cook an octopus properly
The octopus is valued by its tentacles. The main thing is that they are not rubber. To do this, they can be beaten off with a meat hammer. But there is another, peaceful way. It is necessary to closely monitor the cooking time of the products and not to bring the mollusk to chilling in boiling water. However, if time is lost, then you need to be patient and cook the octopus until it is edible. During cooking, the shellfish goes through several stages.
How to cook an octopus
It is necessary to catch the moment and catch the octopus at the moment when he is not yet numb, or wait out this moment. There is a little trick to make the food great: toss the wine corks into the pan during cooking.
What octopus is cooked with
Octopus is used in almost all soups that contain several types of seafood. The product goes well with squid. And now many cooks make cutlets from these shellfish. This dish, by the way, is eagerly eaten by kids. Here it is important to remove the beaks from the squid and octopus, gut and mince them. Add garlic, herbs and onion to the minced meat, then roll in breadcrumbs and fry.
Cooking young octopuses
It is enough to keep cutlets in a frying pan for two to three minutes. By the way, such dishes are very useful for artists. Octopus and squid are pure protein, and it is good for the ligaments and allows you to keep your voice for a long time. It is not for nothing that Italians are considered the best singers, who eat seafood almost every day.
What else goes with an octopus dish?
Any legumes, for example, beans, vegetables, herbs and, necessarily, soy sauce or olive oil, wine vinegar.
The Japanese serve octopus with rice, seaweed and wasabi. The Chinese are wise and mask the mollusk with sauces. The Portuguese prefer the octopus in batter, while the Italians prefer to put it in the broth soup.
You can also eat an octopus alive. At least that's what Koreans like to do. But in Russia it is advised to make salads with octopus. They are light and nutritious at the same time. You can safely put lettuce leaves in the salad, add olive oil or wine vinegar, lemon. But the main thing is not to overdo it. For salad and sashimi, appearance is always important. Therefore, you need to try to beautifully cut the tentacles. Make sure that there is a suction cup on each belt or circle.
Popular octopus recipes
Octopus feijoado (Portuguese cuisine)
This dish will require 1.5 kg of octopuses, 1 cup of beans, 5 cloves of garlic, 5 tbsp. olive oil, 2 tablespoons lard, 4 onions, salt, parsley and black pepper, 3 medium carrots and half a glass of dry white wine.
The beans must be soaked for a day or two, dried and cooked over low heat. Chop the boiled octopus (with onions and olive oil). Simmer chopped garlic in olive oil and lard in a saucepan. Then add chopped onions and carrots, cut into slices. Season all this with salt and pepper and continue to simmer. Add white wine and bring to a boil.
Then add the chopped octopus and beans. Top up with water, add salt and pepper. Cook over low heat. After that, take out a few tablespoons of beans, crush them with a fork and put them back. Stir and simmer until thick. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Roasted octopus (Maltese cuisine)
For the dish you need 0.5 kg of octopus, 2 tablespoons. vegetable oil, 4 pcs. onions, 2 tbsp. tomato paste, 8 pcs. olives, 1 tbsp. capers, 1 tbsp. chopped mint, 1 tsp. spice mix and 1 glass of red wine.
First of all, it is necessary to remove the eyes and ink sac from the octopus. Rinse the carcass under running water. Beat off and cut into pieces. Brown the onion in oil, add the octopus and fry for a few minutes. Then add all the other ingredients and simmer for two hours. Stir occasionally. It is necessary to ensure that the meat does not dry out and add hot water. This octopus can be served with potatoes or spaghetti. Garnish should be added at the end of cooking.
Octopus salad (Cypriot cuisine)
Take 300 gr. Octopus, 1.5 liters of water, 1 tsp. salt, 1-2 onions, 2-3 tomatoes, 2 tbsp. chopped parsley, 2 green onion leaves, 90 g. Green olives, 2 tbsp. capers, 4 tablespoons lemon juice, half tablespoon sugar and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Cut the octopus, remove its beak and cook for 40-50 minutes in salted water. After this, dry the clam. At this time, peel the tomatoes and cut them. Chop the onion, however, and add the green onions and parsley. Mix well. In a separate container, combine butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Season salad with the resulting mixture. It can be served with butter and bread.
Fried little octopus
Yesterday, dropping in on business in Jaffa, I looked into the fish store. And what was my surprise when on the counter, I saw small octopuses, though slightly frozen. I never thought that I could meet this in Israel. It's not a problem to buy squid here, but octopuses! I decided to buy them, since such luck itself went into my hands. And I'll cook some fried octopuses!
What I need:
500 gr small octopuses
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of colored peppercorns
2-4 small red chili peppers, finely chop
1 tbsp fish sauce
1. The first step is to clean the octopuses. To do this, I took a small sharp knife and removed the insides.
The insides are in the head area, in order to remove them you need to either cut off the head or make a cut and clean all the contents well.
Next, remove the beak. I took the carcass, spread the beak with my index finger and removed it.
Then she threw it away, they won't need it anymore. I wash the carcasses thoroughly and make cuts on the head in 2 or 3 places. That's it, processing is over. I put the peeled carcasses in a shallow dish.
2. Preparing octopuses for frying. To do this, I put the octopuses, oil, garlic, peppercorns and chili in a bowl and pickle for 30 minutes. I heat up a very flat barbecue pan or you can take a cast-iron one if you have one.
Fry 3 octopuses at a time, turning frequently, for 3 minutes or until they turn white.
Be careful not to overcook! The first batch is ready, sprinkle with fish sauce and squeezed lime juice. Serve immediately. If you wish, you can decorate the dish with sprigs of cilantro (coriander) or a few slices of pepper.
This recipe can be used to make squid too. To do this, you need to wash the carcasses, dry and cut into squares or strips. Cook them the same way as octopuses, just do not overcook, otherwise they will be tough.
