The Octopus Experiment

Those who know me well know that I love seafood. I enjoy just about anything that comes out of our vast oceans, but the dishes that truly capture my interest are the ones made with squid and octopus. In addition to shrimp, these are two of the more challenging seafood items to cook correctly. The perfect texture for both squid and octopus combines an ethereal softness and chewiness at the same time without it being mushy. It’s a tough combination to achieve, but I was up to the test and I was ready and willing to try my hand at it once more…Yes, I have tried this many times without much success but I’m not going to give up just yet. It’s a challenge, but one that I embrace until I get it right.

This is one item that I have done a great deal of research on for many years. Some proponents believe that the best way to achieve the perfect texture is cooking it on high temperature quickly and others believe in the low (temperature) and slow method over several hours. I have read about special tenderizers that people use, including juice from lemons, papaya, pineapple and other ideas such as overnight soaks in buttermilk and/or yogurt prior to cooking. Some people even believe that using a cork in the poaching liquid will guarantee the perfect tenderness, but before I try out the cork option, I think I would rather try some more flavorful alternatives…

Two of my favorite food bloggers are Chef Christo Gonzales and Chef Benny Doro who are always cooking and writing about many unique and healthy indulgences. Recently, both wrote about the delicious wonders of octopus. Chef Benny tempted us with his light and delicious rendition of octopus carpaccio whose versatility and ease of preparation makes it possible for anyone to prepare and never disappoints. Chef Christo slowly poached then gently grilled his octopus to achieve a slight but delicious and flavorful char. Two very different but equally delicious preparations.

Needless to say, I was inspired…  

Last week, I visited my favorite international market in Baltimore called Prima Foods and picked up a few  necessary items that I can’t find anywhere else, and you guessed it octopus was definitely on the shopping list.  I decided it was time to put an end to my long suffering quest to find the secrets to a perfectly cooked octopus, and today was the day.

I followed a couple of hints that Christo had suggested  for his poaching liquid, and used 2 cups of chicken stock that I had on hand, some oregano, garlic, onion and a little salt. You can use seafood stock if you prefer, but this is what I had on hand. In addition to his suggestions, I also added a few black peppercorns, dried bay leaves and some lemon zest to the poaching liquid. Instead of cooking it slowly for several hours as Christo had done, I decided to use the pressure cooker since I tend to be very impatient and want my food on demand…especially when I’m hungry. The pressure cooker is a great asset in the kitchen and a tool that is very misunderstood and actually feared by many. These days, they are very well made and very easy to use…some are even programmable. Use them whenever you need to quickly cook tough pieces of meat in a flash for extraordinary results.

I can honestly say that the result was a perfectly textured and flavored. I simply dressed it with some lemony vinaigrette dressing, thinly sliced tomatoes and diced hydroponic cucumbers. Such an amazing, light and healthy salad that is perfect for anytime. Now that I know the secret, this is something I am going to make again and again, you can count on that…

Perfectly Tender Octopus

1-7# frozen octopus (mine was from Portugal)

2 cups seafood stock (I used chicken)

¼ Tablespoon kosher salt

1 Tablespoon oregano

6 black peppercorns

1 medium onion, quartered

2 large garlic cloves

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 bay leaves

Lemony Vinaigrette Dressing

½ -¾ cup olive oil

½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

¼ teaspoon fresh lemon zest

½ teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon shallot, finely diced

S&P to taste (start with ¼ teaspoon of each)

Thaw the octopus in the refrigerator overnight and rinse very well under cold water. Make sure the inside of the head is rinsed out well of anything that may have been missed in the processing facility.

Add all of the stock and all of the aromatics, tighten the lid and turn your heat up to high until you see steam coming out from the top nozzle, then turn down the heat to medium/low, and cook for 10-15 minutes at the most. Steam will be spouting out from the top, and this is normal. If it is too loud or seems as though too much pressure has built up inside, turn your heat down a little.

Make sure to time this so as not to overcook. After the time is up, move the entire pressure cooker to the sink but DO NOT OPEN this yet. Let the cold water run on the side of the lid for a few minutes and when the steam is no longer visible through the spout, remove the lid but be careful because the inside is still very hot.

Allow this to cool uncovered for a few minutes in the poaching liquid, and then drain everything into a colander.

Once cool, cut off the legs and the head, and cut them into bite size pieces. You can remove the skin and the tentacles if you prefer beforehand. The skin on some of the larger ones tends to be too thick and gelatinous and almost has a ‘fatty’ texture in your mouth which is not appealing. Have your vinaigrette handy, and while the pieces are still slightly warm, pour the vinaigrette over the octopus and toss well. Allow to cool at room temperature, tossing everything together every now and then. Right before serving, toss in the freshly chopped parsley. It is important to serve this at room temperature for the best texture and flavor.  **Altogether, out of one 7 pound octopus, I got about 3 cups of diced meat.