Do you think exotic octopus meat tastes fabulous only in the dishes of chefs at elite restaurants? 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, focus on the following quality indicators:

• transparent eyes (no matter how creepy it may sound);
• shiny brownish skin;
• when palpated, the skin remains intact;
• light fishy aroma (intense indicates staleness).

The taste of an octopus dish depends on the initial size of the mollusk. Only experienced cooks can handle large specimens (body size more than 60 cm, weight more than 1.5 kg), so for home cooking it is better to take medium-sized and small mollusks. They are sold whole, so choosing them is easier.

How to properly prepare frozen octopus

Experienced chefs 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 defrosted at room temperature.

You should not fill it with cold water to speed up the process - a lot of useful substances will escape from the meat. You should absolutely not use hot water - it loses its delicate taste.

When the meat becomes soft, it is placed in a colander, allowed to drain, then cut and prepared according to any recipe for preparing fresh shellfish.

How to cut an octopus

The mollusk is a solid muscle, which is eaten. But he also has inedible organs. They must be carefully removed using the following algorithm:

• We thoroughly wash 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 taste salty or bitter. The mucus is scraped off with a knife or removed with a rough cloth while washing, and then each tentacle is wiped well with salt.
• Using a knife, 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. You can blanch in boiling acidified or salted water and clean the clam while hot.
• Afterwards, wash thoroughly again, beat and cut into small pieces.

We take it in parts

You can also find individual octopus tentacles TM NUCHAR on sale. Chilled or frozen - the rules for choosing them remain the same. Externally, their skin should be shiny, brownish, without damage. If black spots, tears are visible on it, and it separates from the meat, most likely the tentacles were stored incorrectly.

Press the tentacle and watch how quickly the surface recovers - the fresh one will definitely return to its original state. A sharp fishy smell indicates that the meat is not fresh.

Cleaning and preparing tentacles follows the same rules as for a whole octopus. It is important to thoroughly beat 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 octopus TM NUCHAR, which is marinated in its own juice and is almost ready to eat. To prepare dishes, the limbs are crushed: cut into circles, cubes, slices.

Cooking octopus on the grill

Immediately after cleaning, the meat can be baked in the oven or on the grill. This quick and easy recipe uses baby octopuses, but sliced ​​adult pieces will work too. You will need olive oil, garlic and lemon.

Grilled fried octopus takes about 10 minutes. Coat the meat with oil and place on a preheated grill. When it is browned, turn it over to the other side. After a gentle blush appears, remove.

Grilled octopus is served with a sauce of grated garlic, olive oil and squeezed lemon juice.

We cook quickly, but carefully!

Almost all recipes suggest using boiled meat. But first you need to remember: we cook 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 octopus tentacles or a whole shellfish: the method and time of cooking. They should only be lowered into boiling water with the tentacles forward: as soon as the immersed tentacles curl, lower the mollusk completely. Depending on the size, you need to 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 answers the question of how to cook small octopuses. The only difference is that their cooking time is minimal. Baby octopuses are often used for salads. How to cook octopus in this case? 800 g of prepared 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 put lettuce leaves, sliced ​​bell peppers, and herbs in a salad bowl, and top with pickled octopus. The final touch is to sprinkle the salad with lemon juice.

For cooking, you can use medium-sized clams. But then you need to cut the tentacles so that each piece has a sucker. This makes the salad look more beautiful.

How to fry octopus

For a fried dish, a medium-sized clam is usually taken: pre-boiled (about 5 minutes) and then cut into cubes. Separately prepare a mixture of several cloves of garlic, lemon juice (to taste), and olive oil.

This octopus recipe calls for frying pieces of meat in a hot frying pan over high heat, draining any water it releases. After this, the prepared mixture is added and fried again until all the water has evaporated (about 10-15 minutes). Before removing the meat from the heat, add pepper, oregano or any herbs to your taste. The finished dish is laid out on plates and served hot.

You can stew octopus!

When searching for an octopus dish with a photo, you probably came across incredibly mouth-watering images of amazing dishes. One of the best combinations is shellfish 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, prepare shellfish meat (2 kg): peel and boil 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 oil or lard, fry onion (1 onion), carrots (3 medium-sized), garlic (half a head), cut into slices. When they are sufficiently browned, 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 into the boiling mixture along with the beans. Pepper to taste (you can use a mixture of peppers), salt, mix well and cook over low heat for another 15 minutes. Place the dish on a plate and garnish 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

Shellfish meat is common in the cuisines of Asia and Europe. It is used in seafood cocktails for making soups and salads. Squid is an ideal companion in such mixes. Greens, vegetables, legumes, as well as wine vinegar, olive oil and soy sauce go well with octopus.

More often the octopus is simply boiled. The Portuguese love to cook meat in batter, the Chinese top it with all sorts of sauces, and the Japanese combine it with seaweed, rice and wasabi. Italians prefer roasting and stewing, preferably with wine. Cooked meat is usually served with vegetables. The most extravagant way of consumption is adopted by Koreans - they eat shellfish alive!

Seafood is very tasty and extremely healthy, but it is too troublesome. Seafood lovers find different ways to enjoy it: in a restaurant, at a resort or on major holidays. But there is a special category of culinary experts who strive at all costs to reproduce a chef’s culinary masterpiece at home. They know special markets where they can buy the freshest mussels and lobsters, they are personally acquainted with the sellers and even the fishermen who regularly supply them with raw materials for the next exotic recipe.

Unfortunately, if the distance from your home to the nearest body of salt water is more than 500 km, then most of these delicacies are sold frozen. You can complain for a long time about their loss of taste and other inherent qualities, but this will not change the circumstances. Therefore, if you cannot imagine your diet without seafood, you will either have to move closer to the coast, or learn how to handle such semi-finished products. Most likely, you can handle mussels and squid carcasses with or without an ice glaze, so we suggest you learn how to properly cook frozen octopus so that it turns out tasty and not tough.

Features of cooking octopus
Octopus is featured in the cookbooks of many maritime nations, from Asia to the Mediterranean to Hawaii. Cooking methods depend on the traditions of national cuisines. The Japanese eat fresh and even live octopuses, boil them in soup and add them to rice and, of course, in the form of sushi. Greeks bake in the oven and grill, fry and serve with olive oil and aromatic herbs. Regardless of the recipe, the meat of these cephalopods remains tender and rich in vitamins and microelements.

The only exception is recipes from the Far Eastern regions of Russia, where they are accustomed to drying octopuses and soaking them in salty brine. But as a snack for light beers, this product also has many fans. The only drawback that can ruin all the pleasure from this delicacy is careless processing of the carcass, after which ink and mucus remain. By purchasing prepared and frozen octopus, you are protected from these troubles.

Frozen octopus recipes
Almost all the same dishes can be prepared from frozen octopus as from freshly caught shellfish. You can try to preserve their natural taste as much as possible, minimizing heat treatment, or you can cook them in batter, grind them into minced meat or fry octopus cutlets. Octopus meat is an almost universal raw material. The only difference is that you will have to tinker with proper defrosting.

Take a bowl or basin of suitable volume, place frozen octopus without packaging on the bottom and leave at room temperature. You should not try to speed up the process by pouring warm water into the dishes or placing an icy carcass under the tap. You may come across advice to put the octopus in boiling water without first defrosting it - then it will thaw right during the cooking process. But this method is more suitable for experienced cooks who know the exact cooking time by heart.

Once the ice has turned to water and the octopuses are tender, drain the liquid through a colander, pat dry with paper towels, and begin cooking one of these recipes:

1. Boiled octopus. The easiest way to cook octopus as a meat component for lunch or for later use in more complex dishes. However, even here many nuances must be observed. Firstly, under no circumstances should the water be salted so that the mollusk does not acquire a “rubber” density. Secondly, you only need to dip the carcass into already boiling water, and immerse the octopus in it completely, tentacles first. Hold it by the head, and when you see that the legs are curled from the heat, lower the octopus completely into boiling water. Thirdly, have a timer so as not to overcook the shellfish: after 7-10 minutes the meat becomes too tough, so take it out a little earlier (the cooking time should ultimately be 5-6 minutes). However, if the moment is still missed, there is a way to correct the situation: leave the octopus to cook now much longer, and in about an hour it will soften again and become suitable for chewing.
   
2. Octopus in tomato sauce. Take 1 kg frozen octopus, 4 ripe tomatoes and 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 large cloves of garlic, half a chili pepper, a bunch of fresh parsley, a quarter of a lemon, salt and ground black pepper. Fry finely chopped garlic and seedless peppers in oil in a thick-walled duck pot or cauldron. Add tomato paste, chopped tomatoes without skins and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat. Stir the sauce regularly. Place the defrosted octopuses in the thickened sauce and stir, add ground pepper and a little salt. Monitor the condition of the tentacles - they will signal that the dish is ready by curling into dense lumps. Now put out the fire, put finely grated zest and parsley leaves into the pan. After 5-10 minutes, when the dish is covered, it can be served with a side dish of rice or baked vegetables.
   
3. Octopus with beans. To prepare this completely independent dish, you will need a 2-kilogram octopus, a glass of dry beans, 2 large onions, 3 medium carrots, half a head of garlic, half a glass of dry white wine, a little lard or butter, 7 tablespoons of olive oil, a bunch of fresh herbs , salt and ground pepper (you can use white or a mixture of peppers). Pre-soak clean beans in cold water. While it is swelling, place the thawed octopus carcass in a pan of boiling water, adding a whole peeled onion and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Cook the soaked beans in a second pan. The octopus is cooked for 6 minutes, the beans for about an hour. Prepare a third pan or saucepan, fry chopped garlic, carrot slices and onion rings in oil or lard. When the onions are browned, pour the wine and remaining olive oil into the vegetables and bring to a boil. Cut the boiled octopus into equal pieces and at the same time place the beans in the pan with the sauce. Add salt, add a pinch of pepper, stir and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. When serving, sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.
   

The octopus is a mollusk that has a small body and 8 long tentacles with suckers. He is a predator who prefers to live alone. On average, the size of an individual individual can be up to 50 cm, and the weight reaches up to 3 kg. The octopus is included in the list of primitive animals that have existed on earth for a long time. The mollusk lives mainly in tropical and subtropical oceans.

Octopus meat is tender and soft and tastes slightly sweet. From one individual up to 75% of the meat is obtained from the total mass. In general, there are 4 categories of octopus, which differ in weight:

1. Individuals weighing no more than 2 kg.
2. Individuals weighing from 2 to 5 kg.
3. Individuals weighing from 5 to 10 kg.
4. Individuals weighing more than 10 kg.

The best are considered octopuses that are included in categories 3 and 4.

How to select and store?

The taste and quality of the dish have a direct connection with which octopus you choose. There are several recommendations that will help you cope with this task:

Beneficial features

The benefit of octopus is the presence of easily digestible protein, which is necessary for the functioning of internal organs. It contains polyunsaturated fatty acids in large quantities, which reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The mollusk also contains a large amount of zinc, which resists the aging process of the skin and improves immunity. When consumed regularly, the body is saturated with vitamin B12, which is a natural antioxidant that is important for saturating cells with oxygen.

Use in cooking

Octopus is a fairly popular food product, which in many countries is used to prepare original dishes, although for our country it still remains exotic. The mollusk is especially popular in Asian countries, where it is even eaten alive. In Italy, octopus is used to prepare first courses, and it is also used to make sandwiches, appetizers and salads. Many people prefer baked octopus in dough. The shellfish can be cooked either whole or in parts. In general, you can use any of the existing methods to prepare it: fry, boil, stew, pickle, dry, etc.

In some restaurants, shellfish are served stuffed with various products, for example, vegetables, mushrooms, dried fruits or cereals. To vary the taste of octopus, for example, when boiled, you can use olive oil, herbs and spices, wine and soy sauce.

How to cook octopus with your own hands?

If you managed to purchase octopus, then to prepare it, you should follow these recommendations:

Octopus harm and contraindications

Octopus can cause harm if an individual intolerance to the product is detected. It is important to consider that if the mollusk lived in a polluted environment, then its meat may contain substances that are toxic to the body. Incorrectly cooked octopus meat can lead to serious poisoning.

If quite recently we saw exotic inhabitants of the deep sea only on television screens, today they can be found on store shelves. And some of them make very tasty dishes! How to cook octopus so that it is tasty and healthy?

How to make the right choice?

First of all, you should choose an octopus.

• Frozen or fresh? If you want to get the maximum benefit and enjoy the delicate taste, then it is advisable to choose fresh. But you will probably have to cut it up, although you can ask the seller about it (he will probably have to pay). And if you want to save effort and time, you can also buy frozen octopus; in this form, the carcasses are usually sold already completely cut up and even cook faster, and this is very convenient.
• Pay attention to the size. Small octopuses have more tender flesh, medium ones are more nutritious, but a large adult octopus weighing about two to three kilograms can be “rubbery.”
• Evaluate the appearance. But such a criterion will only be relevant if you buy fresh octopus. The surface of the carcass should be shiny, the color should be burgundy-brown and uniform. No damage is allowed.
• Study the smell. It is specific, but quite pleasant. It definitely shouldn’t taste like rotten meat.

Proper preparation for cooking

Preparation consists of several stages:

1. First, the carcass must be thawed if it is frozen. But this should be done only at room temperature, that is, naturally, and not in a microwave oven.
2. Next, rinse the octopus thoroughly under running cold water to remove all the mucus.
3. It is not worth cleaning the carcasses before cooking; the skin is very, very difficult to remove, so it is better to get rid of it after heat treatment (then it will come off quickly). But if the octopus is adult and large, then its shell will be quite dense, so it can be scraped off with a knife at this stage.
4. Now you need to cut the carcass (frozen will probably already be cut). To do this, it is more convenient to first cut off the tentacles, but this is not necessary. Next, cut off the lower part of the head, that is, the support on which the tentacles are held. In it you will find a mouth opening similar to a tooth or beak. It needs to be removed. To do this, first squeeze it out, and then cut it out with a knife. Also cut out the eyes.
5. Now wash the inside of the head well to remove all the offal, as well as ink, if there is any there. Then you can turn it out and wash it again.
6. If the octopus is large, then it is advisable to beat it before cooking.

How to cook?

If you decide to cook octopus for the first time, then the easiest way for you will be boiling. But how long should you cook it to make it tasty? Processing should be short, otherwise the meat will become stringy and tough, like rubber (this is a very common problem).

Your task is simply to destroy all pathogenic organisms. Small octopuses only need to be cooked for about five to seven minutes, larger ones - about 20. But a large octopus can be cooked for about an hour.

You can check readiness with a toothpick. Pierce the largest part of the carcass, that is, the head. If the toothpick goes in easily and quickly, then the octopus is ready. If not, then cook it some more. And after cooking, you can remove the skin.

How to cook?

How to properly cook octopus if you want to make a more interesting dish? Below are some interesting options.

Option #1

You can bake octopus with potatoes. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 kg of octopus (or a whole carcass);
• 1 kg of potatoes;
• parsley;
• five cloves of garlic;
• three tablespoons of lemon juice;
• olive oil;
• salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Potatoes need to be peeled, cut into slices and boiled.
2. Boil the octopus and cut it (small octopuses do not need to be chopped).
3. Grease the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil.
4. Place the potatoes mixed with the octopus in the mold, sprinkle everything with lemon juice and olive oil, and sprinkle with chopped garlic and chopped parsley. Don't forget to salt the dish.

Option No. 2

Try stewing octopus at home using sour cream and milk. Prepare:

• 500 grams of octopus;
• 2 glasses of milk;
• half a glass of sour cream;
• five tablespoons of flour;
• three tablespoons of white wine;
• a tablespoon of lemon juice;
• three cloves of garlic;
• two tablespoons of olive oil;
• salt and pepper to taste.

How to cook?

1. Octopuses need to be boiled for about 10 minutes, adding lemon juice and wine to the water.
2. Now clean the carcasses and cut into portions if they are large.
3. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and fry the garlic.
4. Add the milk and when it is hot, dissolve the flour in it.
5. Cook the sauce until it boils, then add sour cream.
6. Now lay out the octopuses.
7. Place pepper and salt in the pan, simmer for five minutes and remove from heat.

Option #3

You can prepare a delicious salad. Here's what you'll need for this:

• 500 grams of octopus;
• 4 potatoes;
• head of red onion;
• 10 cherry tomatoes;
• lettuce leaves;
• 60 grams of pitted olives;
• 5 tablespoons of olive oil;
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice;
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar;
• a teaspoon of liquid honey.

Preparation:

1. Boil the octopus, peel and cut.
2. The potatoes need to be boiled in their skins, peeled and cut into cubes.
3. Cut the cherry into halves.
4. Cut the onion into half rings.
5. Just tear up the lettuce leaves.
6. To prepare the sauce, mix vinegar, oil, lemon juice and honey.
7. Mix the ingredients, add salt and season with sauce.
8. Salad ready!

1. The octopus should only be immersed in boiling water. Moreover, real experts advise doing this gradually: first immerse the tentacles, and when they slightly change shade and begin to curl, you can lower the entire carcass.
2. During cooking, do not add salt under any circumstances, it will make the pulp hard. For taste, you can use some fragrant seasoning.
3. If you don’t want to pound the octopus, you can freeze it; this technique will also soften the meat.
4. It is advisable to reduce the heat to a minimum; the carcasses should literally simmer in barely boiling water, and not cook in a seething broth (then the taste will deteriorate).
5. To make the pulp more tender, you can add a cork from a wine bottle (not plastic, of course) during cooking.
6. Octopus goes well with various sauces, especially creamy and soy sauces.
7. You can serve the dishes with any side dishes, for example, vegetables, spaghetti, rice.
8. To remove the skin faster, after heat treatment you can pour cold water over the octopus.

Choose the best recipe and be sure to surprise your family and guests with an unusual and tasty dish!

Feb 5, 2016 Olga

Boiled octopus meat is a tasty and easy-to-prepare delicacy that can easily be made at home (for example, for a salad), but the main thing is to know how to cook it correctly so that the meat turns out tasty and soft. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how and how much to cook octopus in a pan at home.

The cooking time for octopus depends on its size and whether it is boiled whole or just the tentacles. Let's take a closer look at how long to cook octopus in a pan on the stove:

• How long does it take to cook fresh octopus? Fresh large-sized octopus (on average more than 3 kg) is cooked for at least 60 minutes, and medium-sized octopus for 25-30 minutes.
• How long does it take to cook octopus tentacles? Octopus tentacles need to be cooked for 7-10 minutes until cooked.
• How long to cook baby octopuses? Small octopuses can be cooked 5-10 minutes before they are ready.
• How long does it take to cook frozen octopus? Frozen octopuses are cooked the same amount as fresh ones (if they are not large), it is better to defrost large specimens first.

Note: depending on the purpose of cooking octopus, it is better to give preference to small specimens, as they are faster to cook and the meat is more tender (the meat of large octopuses must be beaten before cooking to make it softer).

Having found out how many minutes to cook the octopus until cooked, we will further consider the process of cooking it in order to know how to cook it so that the meat is soft and completely cooked.

How to cook octopus in a pan

Cooking fresh octopus is not a complicated process, the main thing is to do everything sequentially, from preparing it for cooking and ending with the cooking itself (it is important to cook over medium heat in a small amount of water). Let's take a step-by-step look at how to properly cook octopus in a pan:

• If the octopus has been frozen, it must be defrosted in advance (applies to medium- and large-sized specimens), and it is better to defrost it in the general section of the refrigerator or at room temperature.
• A thawed or fresh octopus must be prepared for cooking: cut off part of the head, cut out the beak and eyes, as well as the section with ink and giblets, then rinse thoroughly in cold water to remove mucus.
• Pour cold water into a saucepan of a suitable size (so that it covers the octopus carcass by 1-2 cm) and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Place the prepared octopus in boiling water, wait for the water to boil again, reduce the heat (the water should boil slightly) and cook it under the lid for 25 to 60 minutes (depending on the size of the individual).
• 5 minutes before the end of cooking, salt the water to taste.
• At the end of cooking, check the octopus for readiness, remove the pan from the heat and let the carcass cool in the water so that the meat is more tender and juicy.

Note: the readiness of octopus meat can be easily checked with a toothpick; if it is easily pierced, it means it is cooked.

How to cook frozen baby octopuses

Unlike large octopus, small (baby) octopuses are even easier to cook, and if they are frozen, they do not need to be defrosted before cooking (the cooking time does not change). Let's take a closer look at how to cook small frozen octopuses in a pan:

• Pour cold water into the pan, add salt to taste and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Carefully immerse the frozen small octopuses in boiling water, wait until the water boils again, then reduce the heat, cover the pan with a lid and cook the octopuses for 5-10 minutes (on average 7 minutes).
• Leave the pan with the finished boiled octopuses off the heat and let them cool in the water for 15-20 minutes, after which we drain the water and use them to prepare other dishes.

In conclusion to the article, it can be noted that knowing how long and how to cook octopuses, you can quickly and tasty cook them at home for use in many seafood dishes. We leave our reviews and useful tips on how to cook soft octopus in a pan in the comments to the article and share it on social networks if it was useful to you.