Add aGreek Salad,breadfor mopping and a glass of chilled wine for the perfect summer meal!
Crispy marinated baby octopus
Introducing……the RecipeTin Family baby octopus recipe!
Tightly held for years, Ive finally been granted permission to share.
Platter of crispy baby octopus with a side of crushed lemon-potatoes drizzled with residual octopus marinade (it’s so good!)
Im completely mad for it and Im hoping to make you fall in love with it too.
I know octopus is a mystery to many, unsure how to approach cooking it.
You dont need any special equipment, and theres no fiddly preparation required.
Platter of crispy baby octopus with a side of crushed lemon-potatoes drizzled with residual octopus marinade (it’s so good!)
For octopus, the conversation centres around its intelligence and sustainable farming.
I choose to play my part by sourcing octopus from sustainable Australian sources.
Ask your fish monger.
The octopus is braised until tender (~ 1 hour)
How to cook baby octopus so its tender with crispy legs!
There seems to be a lot of information out there for tips and tricks to tenderise octopus.
I dont get why its simple.
Then marinated in garlic-lemon-olive oil
Just simmer on a low heat until its tender.
We want it tender, not tough and chewy.
But not overly soft and mushy.
Then BBQ’d until crispy! (Or pan-fry)
For the baby octopus size I get, its usually bang on 1 hour.
If they are a little larger, it can take 70 minutes or so.
If smaller, they might be done around the 50 minute mark.
Expect large octopus legs to take around the same time, despite being thicker.
No need to be meticulous here, its fine if theres little bits stuck in the octopus.
I tested it with a 6 hour marinate and it had noticeably less flavour.
Over medium high heat, it only takes around 4 to 5 minutes.
Everybodys favourite part!!
The hard and fast method Octopus can also be cooked by searing very quickly over high heat, likesteak.
Sides pictured with the bay octopus –Greek Saladand crushed potato salad (directions in recipe notes!)
The flesh will be tender although chewier than the slow-simmer method Im sharing today.
It is sold fresh or frozen at seafood shops.
If frozen, let it thaw and drain off the excess water before using.
The skin should still be on and we will not be removing it because it softens when cooked.
TIP: you could speed up thawing by putting the frozen octopus in a sink filled with water.
Its fairly neutral, and this step is more about getting some subtle flavour into the octopus flesh.
The marinade Octopus is actually very mild and delicate so its a terrific sponge for flavour.
These flavours are a natural fit with octopus which is a favourite all across the Mediterranean!
Add a glass of cold wine and you have yourself a spectacular meal for a hot summer day.
Having said that, heres what you see pictured in photos in this post.
Greek Salad very fitting for this Mediterranean octopus dish!
Crushed potato salad with parmesan(photo above) dressed with the flavour-loaded leftover marinade from the octopus.
The crushed potatoes drizzled with leftover marinade
But for those of you reading, I really hope you give this a go someday!
Its a little special, not something you’re free to find at your usual suburban restaurants.
And its just so easy!
Ready, set, EAT!
What do you think??
Have I convinced you to give it a try?
If you make it,pleaselet me know what you think!
Prevent screen from sleeping
I hope you love it as much as I do.
