3 Easy Octopus Recipes

Jun 14, 2019Recipes

Our 3 Easy Octopus Recipes

Considering octopus looks so impressive, it may seem difficult to prepare. This is false; it can be very easy to turn into a delicious dish.
In this article we will provide you with 3 super easy octopus recipes based on spanish tradition and experienced chefs.

Recipes :

Octopus in cured ham broth

Grilled octopus with sweet potatoes and onion salad

Authentic Galician style Octopus

Few Chef cooking tips

3 easy octopus recipes #1 : Octopus in cured ham broth

Here is one of the 3 easy octopus recipes that is an authentic plate which can be found in a trendy Spanish tapas bar.

Cooking Time :

1 hour and 45 min

Ingredients :

 

  • 1 Octopus (whole)
  • ½ lb of cured Ham
  • Celery
  • ½ onion
  • 2 Garlic cloves
  • Black pepper
  • Pimento
  • Paprika
  • Parsley
  • Cherry vinegar
  • Olive Oil

Preparation :

1. Fill up a large pot with water. Make sure the pot is capable of fitting the entire octopus.

2. Cut the ham and celery into medium pieces. Cut the onion and garlic. Then put them in the pot with black pepper, pimento, paprika and parsley. Cook the broth for about an hour.

3. While the broth is cooking, unfreeze the octopus and tenderize it (unless you bought one already tenderized).

4. Once you have your octopus tenderized and you’ve cooked your broth for 1 hour, put the octopus in the broth. Now cook the octopus for about 45 minutes.

5. You will know that the octopus is cooked when it shrinks and becomes tender; the skin will also become dark. Cautiously check the octopus by touching the tentacles, everything must be soft. If so, remove the octopus from the broth and put it in a bowl.

6. On a cutting board, carefully cut the head off and separate each tentacle. You can cut a little piece and try it to make sure the seasoning is right.

7. Cut the tentacles in slices that are about ½ an inch to keep enough texture, otherwise it will be only flavor.

8. Arrange the slices on a plate in a circle.

9. On the top, add some black pepper, a little bit of salt, paprika, fresh lemon juice, cherry vinegar, and olive oil. Don’t be scared to be generous with the olive oil, it gives a lot of flavor.

Ready to serve, Enjoy !

#2 : Grilled octopus with sweet potatoes and caramelized onion salad

Out of all the easy octopus recipes, this is  one that mixes sweetness, spiciness, and grilled flavors.

Cooking Time :

30 min

Ingredients :

  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • 2 red onions
  • 1 octopus
  • Olive oil
  • 1 chili pepper
  • 1 jalapeno
  • Cilantro
  • 1 Lime
  • Parsley

Preparation :

1. Put the sweet potatoes in the oven  at 375 degrees F / 190 degrees C.

2. While the sweet potatoes are in the oven, cut the onions in medium sizws dices.

3. Put the onion in a bowl and mix it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Make sure the onions don’t swim in olive oil but are just coated.

4. Stir the onions in a pan for a few minutes; cook until caramelized (golden brown). Then, put them back in the bowl.

5. Take the sweet potatoes out when done.

6. Cut the jalapeno into small pieces.

7. Peel the sweet potatoes; cut them into cubes.

8. Add the sweet potatoes and the jalapeno to the onions and mix. (The sweet potatoes should break apart which is expected).

9. Chop the cilantro, and add it to the salad.

10. Add some salt, lime zest, lime juice and a little bit of olive oil. The salad is ready.

11.The octopus needs to be cooked before grilled. You can boil your raw octopus in water or broth or you can buy a cooked octopus.

12.Cut the head off and separate the tentacles.

13.Make a sauce with olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley and lemon and dip the tentacles in it. You can even marinate your octopus tentacles overnight.

14.Grill the tentacles on a pan or barbecue to give a grill flavor to it.

15.Once the octopus has grill marks, remove it from the grill, slice it in 3 to 4 pieces, and put it on top of the sweet potato salad.

Bon appetit !

#3 : Galician Style Octopus recipe

This is the last of our 3 easy octopus recipes, but certainly not the least! This is an authentic Spanish recipe that can be found all around the Mediteranean area. You can eat this as a main dish or as an appetizers with friends and family.

Cooking Time :

30 min

Ingredients :

  • 1 Octopus
  • 1.1 pounds of potatoes
  • Sea salt
  • Sweet or hot Paprika
  • Olive Oil
  • 1 large Onion

Preparation :

1. For this recipe, you need a very tender octopus. If you buy a fresh octopus, you can freeze it in order to tendorize it, or you can just buy one that is already frozen.

2. Take out the octopus from the freezer and let it thaw the day before you want to cook it.

3. If you bought a cooked octopus, you can skip this step.
With a raw octopus, fill up a pot with water, bring it to boil, and cook the octopus for about 50 min on medium heat.
Peel the onion and add it to the broth.

4. Peel the potatoes and cut them into thick slices (about 1-2 inches), see the picture below.

5. When the octopus is ready, put it on a plate and let it cool down. Put the potatoes in the same boiling water for about 15min.
Note :  if you have a cooked octopus, you can add the octopus and the onion with the potatoes in boiling water.

6. If you bought tentacles only, cut them with scissors or a sharp knife in slices (not too thin) – about ½ of an inch to keep the tenderness. If you have a whole octopus, cut the head into small pieces.

7. Set it up on a platter (wooden one if you like tradition). The potatoes go on the bottom. Put one octopus slice on top of each slice of potatoe. (see picture below).

8. Final step: add some sea salt, sprinkle some paprika, and drizzle some olive oil on top. You can also add a little of the cooking water for taste.

Enjoy it like a real spanish tapa !

Easy octopus recipes cooking tips

How to tenderize an octopus

Method 1 : Beat the octopus:
You can beat the octopus on the counter, but there is a chance your kitchen will become messy.

Method 2 : Massage:
Some people just massage the octopus with their hands until it tenderizes.

Methode 3 : Ready to go:
You can also buy it frozen, or already tenderized. mmmediterranean unique food octopus selection offers tenderized and frozen octopus, so it is he easiest of the three options.

 

Peel the Octopus skin :

If you want, you can gently peel off the skin of the tentacles.That being said, if you like the flavor of the skin, you should keep it on !

 

Get juice from lemon and limes easier :

Before squeezing, roll the lemon on a table with your hand. This will break the inside and make it easier to squeeze.

 

[]