Cooking whole octopus may seem intimidating at first, but it’s quite easy! Our octopus has a good natural balance of salty flavor, which means it doesn’t need salt during cooking. The freezing and thawing process helps to tenderize the meat, so this octopus doesn’t need to be tenderized further (no need to beat it against rocks or with a pan or mallet like some recipes suggest!) A 4-6 lb. Octopus takes 2-3 hours to cook.
If you’ve never cooked octopus before, here are some important things to know:
Octopus can be cooked whole, or you can separate the tentacles (legs) and top part of the head (hood) prior to cooking. Whether kept intact or not, the beak should be removed before you start cooking.
Octopus Flavor Pairings
Our Portuguese octopus has a very mild and delicate flavor, making it infinitely versatile and adaptable to many different flavor pairings and cuisines. A delicacy around the world, octopus works well with Greek, Mediterranean, Spanish, Italian and Asian dishes. Octopus is very lean, so it's good to balance it with rich or fatty ingredients, like avocado and olive oil. The natural salinity works well when paired with acidic, sour or citrus flavors (like vinegar, lemon and lime juice) and other bitter flavors like radicchio, arugula, and bitter microgreens. The flavor of octopus is equally at home with warming spices (like pimenton, garlic, cayenne, coriander, cumin, and horseradish) as well as cooling herbs (like mint, parsley and cilantro).
