While doing my weekly sweep of the Whole Foods seafood case, my eyes wandered across a tray of glistening octopus that looked like it had come straight off the boat. I'd never seen fresh octopus in these parts, so I checked the label, and sure enough, it was "previously frozen". It did look good though, and at less than five dollars a pound, I figured I had nothing to lose.
I've never cooked octopus before, so I figured it was worth looking up in my food Bible (a.k.a. On Food and Cooking). Because octopus meat is primarily muscle and connective tissue, it starts out chewy when lightly cooked, turns tough when moderately cooked, and goes on to become tender went cooked for a long time. Further research also revealed that frozen octopus tenderizes much faster than fresh octopus. Score!
Still thinking about Spain's win in the World Cup, I decided to give this stew a Spanish touch. I got it started with a sofrito of celery, onions, garlic and tomatoes, then rounded it out with piquillo peppers and sweet paprika. As with all new foods I experiment with, I wasn't expecting much at the get-go, but I'd be lying if I said my expectations didn't grow as the kitchen filled with the wonderful aromas of garlic, tomatoes and peppers intermingling with a light sea breeze.
After giving the octopus a head start, I added some just-dug potatoes that were so fresh, the skin literally washed off. These fresh Yukon Golds had a silky, almost waxy texture that worked as the perfect counterpoint to the protein rich octopus and the sweet, tangy sauce. My only regret is that I didn't have a glass of Albariño and a loaf of bread to sop up the thick sauce with.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby octopus (cleaned and drained)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small rib celery (diced)
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tomatoes (chopped)
- ⅓ cup roasted piquillo peppers (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ground black pepper (to taste)
- 10 ounces new potatoes (cut into wedges)
Instructions
- Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat until hot then add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the octopus and fry undisturbed until it's browned on one side. Flip the octopus over and brown on the second side. Transfer the octopus to a plate then add the remaining tablespoon of oil.
- Add the celery, onions and garlic and fry until translucent and just starting to brown around the edges. The caramelization will add a lot of flavor to our sauce but they'll still be firm enough that they'll add texture to the dish. Add the octopus back in with the tomatoes, roasted peppers, paprika, bay leaf, salt and pepper, then let the mixture come to a boil while stirring it all together.
- Turn down the heat to medium-low, partially cover with a lid, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir to combine. Partially cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring periodically, until the potatoes and octopus are tender and the sauce is nice and thick.
Debby Barr says
I'm confused. In the directions in the second paragraph you mentioned bell pepper, but it is not listed in the ingredients. Is bell pepper part of the recipe? This is my first time making baby octopus myself and I don't want to screw up the recipe.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Debby, sorry about that, it's a little confusing. It's the 1/3 cup roasted piquillo peppers, but roasted red bell peppers will work as well.
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Debby Barr says
Thanks I am getting ready to make them tonight. You will find this funny. I thought I was getting just the tentacles, but its the whole octopus. I researched how to clean them and am confident it will turn out great. Thanks for answering so quickly.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Debby, that must have been a surprise! Hope it turned out well:-)
Debby Barr says
Well, now I'm an expert at cleaning baby octopus AND saving the ink sacs, just for fun. The dish tasted great. The octopus was still a bit chewy, but not overly chewy. There was one that was not chewy at all and I remember what I did while cleaning them. I was pulling off the "skin" off the hood and I wondered if there was one on the tentacles and there was. So I pulled the one off of the tentacles to check for a difference and it made a big difference in the texture of the tentacles. I have another pack of frozen baby octopus and when I cook them, I will use your recipe and completely clean them. I cooked the hoods and when I bit into one, it was so awful that i spit it out. Totally different taste compared to the rest of them. From now on, only the tentacles and save the ink sacs for fun. Maybe I can sell them to a tattoo artist. ha.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Debby, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed this! It sounds like you have the chewiness thing figured out, but you might also just be able to increase the amount of time you cook this to get them tender. As for the hoods, I actually included them in when I made this and the texture is definitely different, but the taste should be the same. As for the ink, I haven't really heard of using it in food (as opposed to squid or cuttlefish ink), but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not a good idea. If you end up trying it out, I'd be curious to hear how it is.
Mark James Hill says
How many servings does this provide? Also im living in tokyo and im embarrassed to say im not sure which octopus to buy. I only usually eat uncooked octopus like sashimi with wasabi. What about those really tiny ones about 100¥ size would they work.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Mark, this should comfortably feed 2 with leftovers, 4 people if you're serving it with other things. As for the size, 100 yen size is probably on the small side, but they should work. These were more like 4-inches long from head to the tips of their tentacles.
Mark James Hill says
Thanks Marc
Lynn says
Commendable! Many pre boil octopus and I liked your sear concept. Worked beautifully with imported Spanish baby octopus and Chiprion (baby cuttlefish) from Lobster Place Chelsea NY- needed nothing more. Made homemade sauce first w: Heirloom tomatoes, garlic, thyme, bay, touch of tomato paste, two dried chili peppers, white wine & cooked down. Needed citrus in end & added touch of balsamic vinegar. It's truly all about using the best ingredients & honing your palette!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Lynn, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed this! I miss living near Chelsea market!
Tomas P says
I'm going to make this tomorrow but I'm little apprehensive about the potatoes. When I read the directions I can't see how the potatoes get soft when there is no liquid?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Tomas, the tomatoes should release a lot of liquid, so as long as you don't have the heat up too high, and keep the pot covered, it should be enough for everything to braise in. If you don't feel like there's enough liquid, you can add some white wine. I hope you enjoy it!
Brian Connely says
When I lived in Libya we would catch octopus, "beat it on the rocks one hundred times" (as per Rodney Tanio's Mom...a Finn), then marinade in fresh orange juice, lemon and garlic, caramalize onions n fresh chilies, then cook in tomato sauce with lots of spices. This was a family hit. i was the King of the Table having "provided" with my snorkeling/foraging skills. Dude...brings back memories, Man. Libya 1966-1974.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Brian, thanks for stopping by to share your story. Sounds like a delicious prep!