Achieving a tender octopus has long been one of the intriguing mysteries of the culinary world. Different cultures have developed unique rituals that attempt to get the most out of their octopus, some with little logic or explanation behind their actions. Many Italians swear by adding wine corks to the cooking liquid, some Spaniards believe that shocking the octopus in boiling water then cooling over three cycles will achieve the succulence they desire, while others believe that beating the octopus carcass over a rock several dozen times will help to tenderize the meat. Personally, I am always tempted to turn to science rather than the lore of the kitchen, and the knowledgeable Harold McGhee sheds some interesting light on the octopus cooking challenge. In his book “On Food and Cooking” he notes some optimal temperatures for the meat as well as some tidbits on the collagen make up of octopus meat before, during, and after cooking, but his passage hardly solves the issue with any real instruction.

Despite the unique approaches from chefs across the globe, there does seem to be one common theme that emerges, a prolonged cooking period at a low gentle simmer for adult octopus (we’ll discuss baby octopus another time). The process of cooking the octopus is a bit tricky as under-cooking an octopus will leave it chewy, attempting to cook it too quickly at too high temperature will leave the meat tough, and cooking it for too long will leave it dryed out and fibrous. To easily address some of these issues, we recommend keeping the cooking liquid just below a simmer, basically poaching the octopus at temperatures of about 175-190 degrees. Not only does this eliminate the chance of cooking at too high of temperature but also makes the window of time to prevent overcooking slightly larger. The low temperatures seem to almost trick the octopus into staying tender and the addition of aromatics to the poaching liquid also help to enhance the natural
sweetness of the octopus flesh.

For the poaching Liquid
1 large onion – halved, then quartered
1 fennel bulb – core removed. halved, then quartered
2 small dried red chiles
2 heaping tsp whole corriander seeds – lightlly toasted
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
6-8 cloves of garlic – sliced / rough chop
8 black peppercorns – craked under the side of a knife
splash of good olive oil
a couple generous pinches of kosher salt (the octopus will naturally be salty so its best to error on the side of caution)

1. Choose a pot that gently nestles the octopus. I find a 6 qt french oven or a small soup/stock pot does the trick.

2. Remove the beak or any ink sacs from the octopus. If your octopus had previously been frozen odds are this has already been done for you. Rinse under cold water.

3. Add the onion, garlic, chilies and other poaching liquid ingredients to the pot.

4. Fill the pot with cold water to just cover the octopus. We want to keep liquid to minimum as the octopus will release plenty of its own flavorful liquid during cooking and the meat will be more flavorful as it stews in its own juices.

5. Cover the pot and turn the heat to high until the temperature reaches about 170. Turn the heat to low and work to maintain a water temperature between 175-190 just below the boil. An experienced cook can easily gage this by eye but to be sure you can take the liquid reading
with a meat thermometer.

6. The octopus should be done after 45 minutes to an hour. After 45 minutes start checking the octopus for doneness. Use a small knife and gently poke the area where tentacle meets the body, if the skin doesn’t yield and the knife punctures the skin then your octopus is done…almost like checking a potatoe.

7. Remove the octopus from the cooking liquid and let cool to room temperature. Strain the poaching liquid through a colander or fine mesh sieve and reserve the liquid. The liquid is quite flavorful and aromatic and can be used as a nice stock for risotto or paella or can be easily transformed into a simple soup.

8. Once cool remove the tentacles from the body and rub off the remaining gelatinous skin. Cut the octopus tentacles into small chunks.

Two practical applications for you to enjoythe succulent octopus meat follow.

Octopus Salad

Octopus can be great in a simple salad and is greatly enhanced with the acid from fresh lemon and the subtle sweetness and heat of smoked Spanish paprika (pimentón).

Tentacle meat from approximately 3lb octopus – ¾”-1″ chunks
12 caperberries – cut in half lengthwise
Arugula
Pimentón dressing (Recipe follows)
Pickled Onions (Recipe follows)

Pimentón dressing
6-8 tbsp olive oil
juice of one lemon
1 clove garlic
1 tsp pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika. Available in sweet or hot depending on your preference. Pimentón de la Vera is best.)
pinch of fresh thyme

1. Crush the garlic to a paste with a little salt with a mortar and pestle. Add the lemon juice and let garlic macerate in the lemon juice for about 20 minutes or so.
2. Add the paprika and thyme and slowly whisk in the olive oil

For the pickled onions
approx 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
approx 1.5 tsp sugar
2 generous pinch kosher salt
1 red onion

1. Slice the red onion into 1/8″ slices. Toss with the vinegar and sugar.
2. Cover and let set in the fridge for about 4 hours or longer. Over night is best

Quick pickle method
1. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Take the slices and add to a pot of rapidly boiling salted water for about 30 seconds. Remove onions from the water and cool under cool running water or in an ice bath.
3. Dry the cooled onions with a paper towel, add to a small bowl and
dress with the vinegar and sugar

To assemble: Add the onions, caperberries and the octopus to a bowl. Sprinkle with salt an pepper and toss with a generous bit of the dressing. Serve atop a small bed of arugula leaves