Crispy marinated baby octopus

Here’s an easy, outrageously delicious mode to navigator babe octopus: simmered until tender, marinated successful bold Mediterranean flavours, past seared until crispy. Add a Greek Salad, bread for mopping and a solid of chilled vino for the cleanable summertime meal!

Crispy marinated babe octopus

Introducing……the RecipeTin Family babe octopus recipe! Tightly held for years, I’ve yet been granted support to share. I’m wholly huffy for it – and I’m hoping to marque you autumn successful emotion with it too.

I cognize octopus is simply a enigma to many, unsure however to attack cooking it. So my extremity contiguous is to amusement you however straightforward it really is and person you however unbelievably delicious it is! Think – tender soma with crispy legs, infused with a stack of Mediterranean lemon-garlic flavour. You don’t request immoderate peculiar equipment, and there’s nary fiddly mentation required.

A enactment connected the octopus statement – As with a fig of different foods, specified arsenic veal, and adjacent Australia’s favourite food – salmon – determination are ethical debates regarding the depletion of octopus. For octopus, the speech centres astir its quality and sustainable farming. I take to play my portion by sourcing octopus from sustainable Australian sources. Ask your food monger. They should know!

Platter of crispy babe octopus with a broadside of crushed lemon-potatoes drizzled with residual octopus marinade (it’s truthful good!)

The octopus is braised until tender (~ 1 hour)

Then marinated successful garlic-lemon-olive oil

Then BBQ’d until crispy! (Or pan-fry)

How to navigator babe octopus truthful it’s tender – with crispy legs!

There seems to beryllium a batch of accusation “out there” for tips and tricks to tenderise octopus. I don’t get wherefore – it’s simple. Just simmer connected a debased vigor until it’s tender. It usually takes 1 hour, irrespective of octopus size (baby octopus oregon legs of ample ones), and you tin conscionable propulsion 1 retired astatine immoderate clip to check.

Once it’s tender, you could devour it arsenic is, conscionable drizzled with a dressing oregon a condiment (try chimichurri, romesco oregon Sauce Vierge). But I similar to marinate it successful a bold Mediterranean lemon-garlic marinade to infuse with flavour past sear until crispy!

1. Braise until tender – Simmer the octopus with aromatics implicit debased vigor for 1 hr oregon until it is tender, checking archetypal astatine 45 minutes. The braising liquid really has a due name, court-bouillon, which is simply a rapidly cooked broth commonly utilized for poaching seafoods.

   To cheque if the octopus is tender, instrumentality it retired of the pot, chopped 1 limb and person a nibble to check. We privation it tender, not pugnacious and chewy. But not overly brushed and mushy.

   For the babe octopus size I get, it’s usually bang connected 1 hour. If they are a small larger, it tin instrumentality 70 minutes oregon so. If smaller, they mightiness beryllium done astir the 50 infinitesimal mark. Expect ample octopus legs to instrumentality astir the aforesaid time, contempt being thicker. It’s benignant of similar cooking chuck beef – there’s a minimum clip it takes for the nutrient fibres to breakdown irrespective of the size of the nutrient you are cooking (small beef stew cubes vs a full cookware roast).

2. Drain – Once the octopus is tender, drain successful a colander past prime retired each the bits – bay leaves, bulb etc, arsenic champion you can. No request to beryllium meticulous here, it’s good if there’s small bits stuck successful the octopus.

3. Marinate 24 hours – Mix the marinade ingredients successful a bowl, past determination implicit the octopus successful a vessel oregon instrumentality and flip well. Be definite to bash this portion the octopus is inactive blistery due to the fact that it is porous and volition sorb the marinade better.

   Cool wholly past screen and refrigerate to marinate for 12 to 24 hours. Don’t shortcut the marinating time! It’s truly worthy it, for flavour infusion into the octopus. I tested it with a 6 hr marinate and it had noticeably little flavour.

4. Sear until crispy! Cook the octopus connected the BBQ oregon successful a ample skillet connected the stove until the legs are aureate and crispy. Over mean precocious heat, it lone takes astir 4 to 5 minutes. Rotate regularly to get colour each over, but springiness the octopus astir sear-time sitting upright which volition get the legs bully and crispy. Everybody’s favourite part!!

To serve, heap the octopus connected a platter, drizzle with citrus juice, sprinkle with parsley and chilli and adhd immoderate caller citrus wedges truthful radical tin adhd much citrus to taste.

Sides pictured with the bay octopus – Greek Salad and crushed murphy crockery (directions successful look notes!)

What you request to marque crispy marinated octopus

The babe octopus

Well, firstly, we request babe octopus. It is sold caller oregon frozen astatine seafood shops. If frozen, fto it thaw and drain disconnected the excess h2o earlier using.

The octopus should beryllium sold already cleaned which means the beak (bone similar portion connected the head) has been removed. The tegument should inactive beryllium connected and we volition not beryllium removing it due to the fact that it softens erstwhile cooked.

TIP: You tin velocity up thawing by putting the frozen octopus successful a descend filled with water.

Braising and marinating

And here’s what you request to braise and marinate the octopus – thing antithetic here!

The braising liquid is similar a lemony vegetable stock, infused with flavour from lemon, bay leaves, parsley, ail and achromatic peppercorns. It’s reasonably neutral, and this measurement is much astir getting immoderate subtle flavour into the octopus flesh.

The marinade – Octopus is really precise mild and delicate truthful it’s a terrific sponge for flavour. In this recipe, I’m utilizing a bold Mediterranean marinade made with lemon, garlic, olive lipid and a bully deed of reddish chilli flakes for small pops of heat. These flavours are a earthy acceptable with octopus which is simply a favourite each crossed the Mediterranean!

The garnish – I usage a sprinkle of parsley (just prime immoderate leaves disconnected the stems earlier adding into the braising liquid), citrus and slices of ample reddish chilli, much for a splash of agleam colour alternatively than other spiciness (because the ample chillies aren’t spicy).

The crushed potatoes drizzled with leftover marinade

Sides!

A crockery this fabulous needs small much than a elemental plot crockery and immoderate crusty breadstuff to mop up each those juices you spot connected the plate. Add a solid of acold vino and you person yourself a spectacular repast for a blistery summertime day.

Having said that, here’s what you spot pictured successful photos successful this post.

1. Greek Salad – precise fitting for this Mediterranean octopus dish! The large chunks of caller juicy cucumber and herb brace precise good with the bold ail flavours of the octopus.

2. Crushed murphy crockery with parmesan (photo above) dressed with the flavour-loaded leftover marinade from the octopus. I boiled immoderate babe potatoes with the octopus for the past 30 minutes, past drizzled implicit the leftover marinade, added an other compression of citrus and olive lipid (I was a small abbreviated connected dressing), sprinkled generously with parmesan, pinch of parsley, past served it connected the broadside with the octopus.

   YUM.

Ready, set, EAT!

I cognize this look volition beryllium acold from the astir fashionable connected this website, being that octopus is not, well, you know, chicken breast. 😂 And it makes maine a small bittersweet to deliberation of each those radical successful this satellite who volition ne'er acquisition the awesomeness that is babe octopus.

But for those of you reading, I truly anticipation you springiness this a spell someday! It’s a small special, not thing you tin find astatine your accustomed suburban restaurants. And it’s conscionable truthful easy!

What bash you think?? Have I convinced you to springiness it a try? If you marque it, please fto maine cognize what you think! I anticipation you emotion it arsenic overmuch arsenic I do. – Nagi x

---

Watch however to marque it

Life of Dozer

My, that is 1 precise agelong tongue.

The station Crispy marinated babe octopus appeared archetypal connected RecipeTin Eats.