How to cook octopus. How long to cook frozen octopus? Tips and recipes. Octopus in creamy sauce

Octopus is, of course, a delicacy. Its exotic taste cannot be compared with anything. Small octopuses are not babies, but adults of a species of octopus such as Aegina. They are no different from regular octopuses, but their small size can be used in special recipes. So let's find out how to cook baby octopuses.

Marinated octopus kebabs recipe

In order to cook small octopuses, we will need:

• peeled octopus (500 g);
• olive oil (1/4 cup);
• lemon (1 pc.);
• salt (2 teaspoons);
• black pepper (1 teaspoon);
• freshly chopped oregano (2 teaspoons);
• ground cloves (1/2 teaspoon);
• garlic (3 cloves);
• kebab sticks.

1. If the small octopuses are frozen, then to cook, you need to defrost them at room temperature.
2. Then we prepare the marinade for the small octopuses. Pour olive oil into a bowl and squeeze the juice from the lemon. Add garlic in the form of puree and spices. Place the octopuses in the resulting marinade and mix well.
3. Cover the bowl with a lid or cling film and place in the refrigerator. The marinating time for octopuses is from 12 to 24 hours.
4. After this time, we take out the small octopuses and string them onto kebab sticks. The grill must be preheated. You need to cook small octopuses on it, periodically turning the chopsticks. This will take approximately 3 minutes for each side.

Our small octopus kebab is ready. But there is another option for how to cook small octopuses.

Pasta with small octopuses recipe

To prepare baby octopuses, take the following:

• octopuses (1 kg);
• tomato sauce (2 cups);
• spaghetti (1 package);
• fresh mint leaves (12 pcs.);
• red wine vinegar (3 tablespoons);
• garlic (4 cloves);
• red chili flakes (a pinch);
• olive oil;
• salt and pepper.

How to cook baby octopuses?

1. To prepare this baby octopus recipe, boil the spaghetti in salted water (about 8 minutes). Then drain them and put them back in the pan. Cover with a lid and set aside.
2. Place the small octopuses in another pan and add red wine vinegar. Pour enough water to cover the octopuses. Place the pan with the octopuses over high heat and cook until they change color. As soon as this happens, remove them from the heat and drain the water.
3. To prepare the octopus, cut the garlic into long thin strips. Take a large deep frying pan and fry the garlic in it in hot olive oil. We put chili flakes in there and pour tomato sauce over it. Heat it for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, add small octopuses, spaghetti, mint leaves and mix everything. Cook over high heat for 1 minute and finally season with salt and pepper.

Dishes made from small octopuses are considered a delicacy. Chefs often use the term "moscardini" to refer to them. The meat of these creatures is very soft, tender and has a sweet and sour taste. As a rule, the product is used for salads and main courses. In this article we will look at how to prepare delicious dishes from mini-octopuses.

Preparation of the main ingredient

Before you start cooking, you should prepare the seafood. The first step is to properly defrost the ingredient. This is done naturally either in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

When purchasing frozen shellfish, pay attention to the amount of ice on them. If the food is covered with a thick layer, it means that it has already been defrosted several times. A thin crust indicates freshness.

Next, you should clean the surface, remove the eyes and turn the carcass inside out. From the inside, all cartilage, beak and other organs must be removed, after which they should be washed in cold water. Initially, moscardini is gray in color, but if you boil or fry them, they become a pleasant pink color.

Cooking recipes

Mini-octopuses live in the Mediterranean Sea; the most delicious and delicious dishes are obtained from this type of sea creature. Most often, seafood is used as food in Eastern countries. In China and Japan, they are used to make salads, sushi, soups and hot main courses. Some housewives not only stew and bake shellfish, but also can them.

One of the interesting and simple ways to cook octopuses is presented in the video.

Marinated octopus salad

A delicious dish of shellfish with garlic marinade will appeal to many. It won't take much time.

Ingredients:

• 700 g octopuses;
• 4 tbsp. l. olive oil;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 1 bell pepper;
• 2 tbsp. l. lime juice;
• 2 tbsp. l. fresh coriander;
• 1 tbsp. l. sweet chili sauce.

Preparation

Prepare the Moscardini carcasses and rinse them in cold water, place in a colander to drain excess liquid. If large individuals are used for cooking, they should be cut into several parts and then placed in a container. Pass the garlic through a press and mix with the shellfish, cover the container with a towel and marinate in a cool place for two hours.

Heat the pan thoroughly and fry the moscardini for five minutes. Line a plate with a paper napkin and transfer the octopuses. Chop the pepper into strips and place in a bowl, add coriander, sweet chili and lime juice. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and add the prepared mini-octopuses to them. The warm salad is ready.

With vegetables

A healthy and tasty snack will decorate any table.

Components:

• 500 g octopus;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• 2 onions;
• 1 celery;
• 1 carrot;
• 2 lettuces;
• thyme;
• 300 ml olive oil;
• 1.5 tbsp. dry red wine;
• spices to taste.

Preparation

Prepare shellfish carcasses and rinse in cool water, then lightly beat. Cut all vegetables, except lettuce, into large slices, mix and place in a heated frying pan with olive oil. Fry the ingredients for about five minutes, stirring. Add spices and a sprig of thyme. After a minute, you can add seafood to the frying pan, then pour the contents with wine and cover the container after two minutes. Simmer the dish over medium heat for about twenty minutes.

In the meantime, you should take care of preparing the side dish. Divide the lettuce core into two parts and place in a high-heat frying pan with olive oil. Add a little garlic and fry the salad, inside down. Place seafood with sauce on a dish, put lettuce next to it and pour over the juice that remained in the frying pan.

Quick salad

This dish is prepared quickly and turns out very tasty.

Components:

• 800 g octopus;
• 2 tbsp. l. olive oils;
• 2 garlic cloves;
• 1 red bell pepper;
• 2 tbsp. l. lemon juice;
• bunch of dill.

Preparation

Prepare and cook the octopuses. To do this, bring the water to a boil and carefully lower one carcass at a time so that the tentacles are wrapped in beautiful circles. Boil for six minutes.

As soon as the moscardini turn a soft pink shade, you can take them out.

Pass the garlic through a press and mix with olive oil. Place slightly cooled octopuses in a bowl with the resulting dressing, cover with cling film and place on the balcony for two hours. Chop the bell pepper and put it in a container, add chopped herbs and lemon juice. Once the mini octopuses are marinated, you can add them to the salad and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.

Stuffed

This recipe contains another seafood product – shrimp.

Components:

• 800 g moscardini;
• 100 g shrimp;
• 60 g butter;
• greenery;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• 1/4 tbsp. red wine;
• 2 tomatoes;
• 1 onion;
• 1 lemon;
• salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation

Rinse the prepared moscardini in cold water. Melt butter in a frying pan, heat and fry the shellfish until half cooked, then pour lemon juice and wine over them and remove from heat and leave to marinate. Meanwhile, you should start filling with shrimp and vegetables. Peel the seafood, wash it and leave it to dry on a kitchen towel. Finely chop the vegetables and herbs, add salt, pepper and mix.

Carefully stuff the marinated moscardini and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Seafood should lie with the tentacles facing up. Pour half a cup of water onto a baking sheet and place a small slice of butter on each octopus. Place the snack in the oven, preheated to 180 degrees for fifteen minutes. The appetizer can be served with fried potatoes, garnished with herbs.

Kebabs

Moscardini kebab will be an excellent appetizer for dinner, especially if you really want to surprise family members.

Components:

• 500 g octopus;
• 2 tbsp. l. olive oil;
• 1 lemon;
• 1 tsp. black pepper;
• 2 tsp. oregano;
• 1/2 tsp. carnations;
• 3 garlic cloves;
• wooden sticks (skewers).

Preparation

Thaw the Moscardini and prepare it. Pour olive oil, lemon juice into a bowl, add garlic and spices passed through a press. Add seafood to the marinade and mix everything well. Cover with cling film and put in the refrigerator for a day so that the ingredients are well soaked. Next, the mini-octopuses should be threaded onto skewers and placed on a preheated grill. Fry each side for three minutes. The shish kebab is ready.

Paste

Pasta with seafood is an excellent option for a complete dinner for the whole family.

Components:

• 900 g octopus;
• 2 tbsp. tomato sauce;
• 1 pack of pasta;
• 3 tbsp. l. wine vinegar;
• mint leaves;
• 4 garlic cloves;
• a pinch of chili pepper;
• 2 tbsp. l. olive oils;
• spices to taste.

Preparation

Boil the mini octopuses in salted water for seven minutes, then drain the water. Add wine vinegar and water to the seafood. It is important that the seafood is completely covered with liquid. Cook the clams over high heat until they turn pink, then drain.

Heat olive oil in a high-walled frying pan and fry chopped garlic until golden brown. Pour in tomato paste and add chili pepper. Simmer the contents for five minutes, stirring regularly. Add pre-cooked al dente pasta, moscardini, mint leaves. Simmer for another minute and turn off the heat. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix everything. Serve garnished with a sprig of cilantro.

Octopus has long ceased to be a mysterious exotic and outlandish delicacy for us. This inhabitant of the deep sea can often be found in supermarkets and can be prepared at home just as well as in a restaurant. We invite you to take a closer look at this amazing mollusk. And the Maguro trademark will help us with this.

Correct clams

Most often, frozen octopuses are sold in stores. If you manage to find a fresh mollusk, carefully examine it from head to tip of the tentacles. The flesh should be firm and smooth, with a slight fishy aroma. When pressed, it easily restores its shape - this is a sign of a fresh product. This is also indicated by bright, unclouded eyes.

If you're cooking octopus for the first time, it's best to play it safe and use a high-quality frozen product. Such as the Maguro octopus. By the way, this brand supplies large whole octopuses from Indonesia, and mini octopuses from China. In addition to them, the branded line includes Far Eastern squid tentacles, which will also appeal to seafood lovers. In any case, the quality and freshness are beyond doubt. All these products are subjected to shock freezing, due to which they retain their taste and nutritional properties.

Exposure session

The frozen octopus, to the delight of the housewives, has already been gutted. But you will have to work hard on a fresh carcass. First, it is thoroughly washed under running cold water, paying special attention to the tentacles with suction cups. Then the head bag is cut off and all contents are cleaned out. After this, the “beak” located in the very center of the base, from which the tentacles diverge, is removed. Lastly, the eyes are cut out with scissors and, if necessary, the head sac is cut into fragments.

There is another important nuance in cutting octopus. The skin is not removed from fresh shellfish. It is extremely difficult to separate with the risk of damaging the carcass itself. To do this, immerse it in boiling water for about 5-10 minutes and immediately douse it with ice water. After this, the skin pulls off easily, like a stocking.

The art of cooking

Like all seafood, octopus requires delicate heat treatment. If you overheat it, the pulp will become rubbery and tasteless. Cooking almost always begins with boiling.

The shellfish is placed in boiling water. Moreover, first they lower the tentacles, and when they begin to curl up and change color, they immerse their head. Do not add salt under any circumstances during the cooking process - it will make the pulp hard. But additions like peppercorns, dill, bay leaves or lemon juice are welcome.

Mini octopuses need 5 minutes, while larger ones take half an hour or longer. Please note that they are cooked on the lowest heat. Boiling water will hopelessly ruin the taste. Experts also advise throwing a wine cork made of cork into the pan. This will give the product tenderness and softness.

Octopus with fire

Fried octopus in spicy sauce is one of the most harmonious variations. Defrost the Maguro octopus carcass, wash, cut and cook under a closed lid over low heat. It's easy to check if it's ready - pierce the thickest part with a fork. It should freely enter the pulp. When the carcass has cooled, cut the tentacles into circles and the base into strips.

In a frying pan with heated olive oil, sauté 2 cloves of garlic and a red onion. Add 2 tbsp. l. rice vinegar, 4 tbsp. l. soy sauce, 1 tsp. grated ginger, ½ tsp. chili flakes and salt to taste. After slightly sweating the sauce, add the octopus and fry for a couple of minutes. Then remove it from the heat and let it brew under the lid for 10 minutes. You can serve octopus without a side dish as a hot appetizer.

Tired of wine

Octopus stewed in wine with the addition of aromatic herbs is a dish for discerning seafood connoisseurs. Prepare the Maguro octopus carcass as in the previous recipe, sprinkle with a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice, and leave for 20 minutes.

At this time, fry the chopped red onion in butter until golden brown.

Pour in the octopus slices and add a pinch of basil, thyme and anise. If you want to add a bright, fiery note, add chili powder. Pour in 100 ml of dry white wine and evaporate. Then add water until it barely covers the octopus. Next we introduce 2 tbsp. l. tomato paste, mix, cover and simmer until done. You can complement this dish with pasta or wild rice.

Made for each other

Now we suggest baking the octopus in the oven. Boil 1 kg of potatoes in advance and cut into circles. Wash the thawed Maguro octopus carcass, dry it, wrap it in cling film and lightly beat it with a hammer. This will make it softer and more tender.

We cut the carcass into its component parts, chop it coarsely, put it in a deep dish with foil and put it in the oven for 10 minutes at 200°C. Drain the released liquid, brush the octopus with oyster sauce, sprinkle with chopped garlic, and place potato slices on top. Drizzle it with olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary and salt. In this form, put the pan in the oven again, this time for 10 minutes at 250°C. Before serving, garnish the dish with cherry tomatoes and parsley.

As you can see, cooking octopus at home is easier than it seems at first glance. The main culinary secret is delicious and fresh shellfish of impeccable quality. The Maguro brand has made sure that just such a product ends up on your table. And you, in turn, were able to please the whole family with delicious octopus dishes.

How long to cook octopus

It all depends on the size of the octopus:
Large sizes (more than 3 kg) cook – 1 hour (60 min.)
Medium size (up to 3 kg) cook – 20 minutes
Boil small octopuses – 5 minutes

Do not cook octopus for longer than the specified time, as the meat will become rubbery. Octopus tastes very much like squid. You can also read the article “How long to cook squid.”

At the end of the article you can watch a video recipe for cooking octopus from the chef. He describes in detail the entire cooking process. I would also like to present a video recipe for cooking small octopuses.

How to clean an octopus

If the octopus is frozen, then you need to defrost it at room temperature or under cold water (this will be faster).

Rinse well under running water. Remove teeth (pull them out with force and cut them off). Cut off the tentacles (if it is a medium or large carcass). Make a cut along the body and remove the entrails. The ink bag should not be thrown away, as you can make a lot of tasty things from the ink. If the carcass is not small in size, then you should remove the skin, but first you need to cook it for 5-10 minutes, and then cool it and scrape it off with a knife. Ready.

Several culinary recipes for cooking octopus.

How to prepare octopus salad with tomatoes.

Product composition:
Boiled octopus meat – 100 gr.
Cherry tomatoes – 3 pcs.
Root vegetable of boiled potatoes – 50 gr.
Fresh or frozen green peas – 50 gr.
Olive oil or any refined oil – 30 gr.
Spices: salt and ground black pepper to taste
Garlic – 2 cloves

For refueling
Olive oil – 40 grams, lemon juice – 1 tbsp. spoon, liquid honey – 10 g.

How to prepare octopus salad with tomatoes:
Mix all ingredients for dressing.
Cut the octopus meat and potatoes into large pieces, and then fry in vegetable oil. We cut the tomatoes into two or four parts. Boil the peas and cool. Combine the prepared products, add salt and pepper, season with dressing, and mix.

Fried octopus recipe

Products:
Octopus – 1 kg.
Olive oil – 100 gr.
Oregano – 1 tbsp. spoon
Yellow lemon – 2 pcs.
Salt to taste

How to cook fried octopus:
Prepare the octopus as described above. Cook for 5 minutes, cool, clean the skin with a knife. Rinse the carcass and cut into 2 cm pieces. Preheat the oven to 180-200 degrees. Add oil to a baking sheet or frying pan and place the octopus pieces. Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Serve pieces of octopus with lemon and oregano.

Hi all! In this article, as you already understand, we will talk about arthropod mollusks. I will tell, how to cook octopus. Perhaps in our northern latitudes this is a rare visitor, but the counters of shops and markets give us an abundance of products, almost like a self-assembled tablecloth. If only there was money. I would like to reveal a little information about this “beast”. For example, he has three hearts, one of which “drives” ink throughout the body. By the way, ink is highly prized by painters and artists for its persistent and rich color (sepia). The carcass contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals - selenium (important for men), phosphorus, potassium and group “B”. It is considered a common product in Japanese cuisine and is often eaten raw. Watch the video about this at the end! Octopuses and their cooking recipe are incredibly simple, we’ll see that now! Let's lay out our provisions for a beautiful photo.

The main task and first step will be to thoroughly wash the octopus to get rid of mucus, dirt and remaining “paint”. If you bought the frozen type, you need it to thaw completely.

Pour water into the saucepan and boil for about 10 minutes. You can’t overcook it, as it still has a little more to simmer. We take it out from the depths of the pan.

And cut into small pieces.

Grate the onion. Fill it with vegetable oil. Since the recipe is Greek, it should be 100% directly pressed olive oil. Well, were you able to get the octopus? And another small digression, if you want to have the most luxurious hairstyle, then this is a simple and affordable way.

At high temperature, fry the onion until golden brown. Approximately 5 minutes.

Pour red wine, add octopus and spices. Cook at low temperature for about 40 minutes until our liquid turns into a thick sauce. Can be cooked using water.

The dish is ready! Can be served as a mixture with rice. So to speak, pilaf from a young octopus.

Ingredients.

• 1 large octopus (about 1.5 kg)
• ? tea cup olive oil
• 2 onions
• 2 cups sweet red wine
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. salt
• 5 black pepper grains
• 3 grains of fragrant

If you are going to eat live octopus in Japan or Korea, do not ask how to cook it, since there is only one recipe - you need to chew it thoroughly. Because suction cups can play a cruel joke! There are also deaths. And here is the video itself.