Cooking octopus in a pressure cooker ensures a couple of things: tender meat and short cooking times.
The octopus can be either fresh or frozen. If you buy fresh octopus, you can choose to clean it yourself at home or ask your fishmonger. If you clean it, remove the beak, eyes, and internal sac. Rinse well under cold running water, scrub the tentacles to remove any sand that has accumulated.
Cooking times vary based on the weight of the octopus. For 2.2 lbs of octopus, it will take on average 18 minutes of cooking starting from the moment the pressure is reached, of course.
There are many recipes on my blog with the pressure cooker. I created a Top list that includes them all, allowing those who need it to easily find their preferred one. Click here:
How to cook with the pressure cooker many useful recipes.
Octopus in Pressure Cooker: Methods and Cooking Times
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs fresh octopus (or defrosted)
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 onion
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- to taste salt
Tools
- 1 Pressure Cooker lagostina
Preparation
Pour about 1 1/4 – 1 2/3 cups of water into the pressure cooker, add the peeled and chopped vegetables and the bay leaf;
Bring to a boil without the lid;
Dip the octopus 3 times, holding it by the head, then fully submerge it in the pot, put on the lid;
From the moment of the whistle, count 18 minutes;
Turn off the heat and wait 10 minutes before removing the lid;
Open the pot and leave the octopus in its broth;
Finally, salt, cut into pieces, and dress as desired.
A tip for those who decide to cook fresh octopus is to freeze it for at least 24 hours and thaw it slowly in the fridge: this makes the meat more tender.
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 days.
