How to clean and cook octopus? Several times I bought the frozen one because I didn’t know how to clean and cook it properly, then I learned and I must say it’s not difficult at all and even better. Below is the explanation of how I clean it and cook it to prepare various dishes, from salads to stews. Great for preparing appetizers, first or second courses.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 3/4 people
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Fish
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 octopus (about 2 lbs)
- 5 berries juniper
- 3 leaves bay
- 1 stalk celery
Tools
- Pot
- Scissors
- Meat tenderizer
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Paper towel
- Toothpick
Steps
To clean and cook the octopus…
First, heat the water to cook the octopus in a large pot with the washed celery stalk, bay leaves, and juniper berries. When it boils, immerse the octopus, meanwhile clean the octopus.
Take the fresh or thawed octopus, use scissors to cut around the eyes and remove them, a white liquid will come out then still with the scissors, turn the octopus over and in the center, you’ll find the beak, black in color, remove it by pulling it out.
Rinse the octopus under cold running water, including the inside of the head, then beat the tentacles and body with the meat tenderizer to make them more tender.
Now that the water boils, dip the tips of the tentacles 2 or 3 times to curl them then immerse it completely and cook it for 45 minutes over medium-high heat covering the pot with the lid.
After the cooking time, check by piercing the octopus with a toothpick or fork, it should be soft and easy to pierce. Otherwise, continue cooking for a few more minutes.
Let the octopus cool in its cooking water for 3/4 hours until it is lukewarm or completely cool, removing the lid.
Once it is lukewarm or cold, take it out of the pot, pass a paper towel over the entire octopus, removing the dark, gelatinous, and slimy film then cut the tentacles into slices or pieces and dress or cook it as you prefer.
Storage
Once cooked, it can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3/4 days. It can be frozen once cooked.
