Even the ancient Romans and the Greeks were great admirers of octopus. Today, the inhabitants of the Mediterranean are happy to prepare octopuses in any form. Salted, dried, fresh and boiled, seafood delicacies are very healthy. Octopus has a large amount of proteins and substances that strengthen the cardiovascular system.
How to choose an octopus?
Small and medium-sized octopuses are usually sold whole and they are easier to choose. No matter how strange it sounds, but the octopus is chosen by the eyes. They are a mirror of his quality. The eyes of the octopus must be transparent. The color of the octopus should be natural. Such a product can be bought without hesitation. But octopuses that have black spots on the edges of their tentacles and those whose skin is torn, should not be bought. They are not fresh or stored properly.
You can consume not only the head but also the tentacles of the octopus. The flesh of the octopus, when properly cooked, is very tender, slightly pink, sweet in taste and rather resembles the taste of calamari.
First, the octopus must be defrosted, if frozen. This should only be done at room temperature and not in a microwave oven. Then it is necessary to wash it thoroughly with water, to remove any mucus.
It is not necessary to clean the octopus before boiling it, as the skin is difficult to remove, so it is correct to clean it after heat treatment. But if the octopus is too large, the skin can be removed with a knife beforehand.
The next step is to reduce the size of the octopus. To do this, you need to cut the tentacles. Then it is necessary to remove the lower part of the head, ie. the base on which the tentacles are attached. The head and mouth must also be removed. To do this, you need to pull them out and then cut them with a knife. You should also remove the eyes.
Rinse it again with water to clean the insides. Then remove the ink sac. If the body is very large, it must be cut in half before cooking.
How to cook a large octopus, in a way that we don't ruin the product? The heat treatment should not be long, otherwise the octopus will turn like "rubber" - tough and hard. The main thing is to destroy all dangerous microorganisms.
Octopus up to 1 kg:
Step 1. To cook it you need a large pot, at the bottom of which a plate is placed. Pour enough water in it and boil it and then add sea salt.
Step 2. Carefully and slowly immerse the octopus in boiling water, then remove it from the boiling water and repeat this action 3 times.
Step 3. Then let the octopus cook on low heat until it softens. At the end of cooking, leave it in the water to cool.
How long to boil an octopus?
Small octopuses should be boiled for about 7 minutes, medium-sized octopuses for about 20 minutes, but larger octopuses are usually cooked for 35 minutes per 1 kg of body weight.
Whether the product is ready is checked with a toothpick. It is necessary to pierce the body and if the toothpick enters without any problems, then the meat is cooked. After boiling, complete cooling is required and you can proceed directly to preparing it on a grill or a pan.
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