YES, I eat octopus! And so do so many other people across the world. If you've never had it, it has a chewy, slippery texture but if cooked properly should never taste fish or be too squishy to the point where you can't chew it. I personally prefer grilled/charred octopus tossed in olive oil and salt/pepper for the win! You really don't need to do too much when making an octopus either and this is what I love about it. It also plates really really beautifully, just like in the picture above because of its unique colors and of course its tentacles. This particular night I was bored and I want to switch up the normal meat options for dinner.
I was craving something unique but I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted. Then it hit me, OCTOPUS! I braised this poor guy in red wine and seasonings and herbs and mounds of butter. Then decorated the tentacles with potatoes, cherry tomatoes and micro greens. I know it seems extra fancy and possibly difficult but it's really not.
Let's dive in!
Ingredients:
1 Octopus
2 cups red wine
3-4 cups chicken stock
2-3 potatoes
1 stick of butter
1 cup cherry tomatoes
store bought basil pesto
micro greens
edible flowers
For the octopus:
In cold water, wash and clean thoroughly. Next you will have to take out it's eye. It's literally poking it out through the hole/mini cave it sits in (you-tube it), and takes 3 seconds. Next bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large sauce pan or dutch oven and drop the octopus right in there. It took my octopus about 15-20 minutes to cook, if that. You'll know the octopus is done when the tentacles start to curl up. Once its done, you drain it, set it aside to rest and then chop off the tentacles and serve/eat them how you'd like. I cut up the tentacles and tossed them in a little butter and salt/pepper.
For the potatoes and cherry tomatoes:
I rinsed both the cherry tomatoes and potatoes and then halved the potatoes and the tomatoes. I tossed them in salt/pepper and olive oil and then placed on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Next I let them roast in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes until the tomatoes were tinder and the potatoes were crispy enough for my liking.
I played around with the plating a little bit until I came up with what is pictured and I loved it. I drizzled some store bough pesto to add a sauce and another green element to the dish and it was amazing. Everything went well together and my octopus to say the least tasted like butter if you could even imagine that. I wanted to create a dish that would challenge me as a chef. I'm not a huge fan of seafood therefore I don't cook it as much, and when I do, I like to do something a little fancy and this was the result of that. I hope I have inspired you all to try cooking or at least tasting an octopus. And don't worry, this won't be the last time you guys will see our eight legged friend. Until next time,
With Love & Food,
-Chef Morghan