5 replies to this topic

[Steve Martin]

In answer to the query on the dinner thread.
I received three large octopus tentacles and prepared them in three ways.
One went into the freezer to see if that will tenderize it. Unfortunately, it will be some time before I will be cooking at home again.

One was poached in a lemon court bouillon for 90 minutes, after an Alastair Little recipe. It was cooled, sliced and was very tender and tasty. A great success.

The last was treated to another Chef Little method and scared in boiling salted water. This involves dipping it in for 20 secs, removing and dipping back in for 20 secs, and a third time. This is supposed to tenderise it more than a straight 60 secs blanching.
It was then marinaded, unsliced, for 3 days in lemon juice and chopped chili. The amount of juice specified was not great, so I used a plastic bag to maximise contact.

It was then sliced and served with some oil and parsley.



It was quite inedible! The inside was very soft looking but too tough to chew and the outside, scared, part was no better.
I poached the unsliced part on in salted water for 45 minutes, but then it was too soft and not quite right.

So a balance of tenderising and poaching time is required.
It is one of my wife's favourite things, so I will have to find out more about marinading methods. It does seem that some poaching can only be a good thing though.

[Fat Guy]

It was quite inedible!

It looks good, though.

[Jinmyo]

Steve's food photos are always beautiful.

[Priscilla]

Thank you much, Steve -- this is interesting.

Alastair Little, 1 and 1, seems like. Agree with the good looks of the dish you weren't happy with. Await the report on the frozen tentacle!

What about a cork in the simmering water, you know how Mediterranean cookery sometimes suggests -- is that worth a try?

[Chloe]

The last was treated to another Chef Little method and scared in boiling salted water. This involves dipping it in for 20 secs, removing and dipping back in for 20 secs, and a third time. This is supposed to tenderise it more than a straight 60 secs blanching.

Did you just "scare" it and not actually boil it?
The Galicians use this dipping in boiling water technique to tenderise the octopus, before cooking it for about 45 minutes.

One of my favorite ways of cooking octopus is to fry up a vast amount of chopped onion, add the raw octopus sliced (thickness of slices depending on thickness of part of leg), sometimes some chopped tomato too, and just let it all stew gently for about 30-45 minutes (depending on tenderness of octopus). The onion and octopus juices create a lovely sauce.

Chloe
north Portugal

[Steve Martin]

Chef Little does explain that the octopus must be nearly raw or very well cooked. Anything in between will be like a 'steel belted radial'. Like the 40 seconds or 40 minutes rule for squid.
The marinating in lemon juice does seem to have an effect because 45 minutes poaching was too long after that. I imagine there is some variation in the tenderness of octopus due to age, size and the amount of pounding on rocks it endured.


Chloe.

Rick Stein says that freezing is better than scaring before a long cooking method. He said this after his travels to Galicia.
The onion idea is quite Greek as well. I will definitely try it.


Priscilla.
Put a cork in it?

I don't know this method. Perhaps some acidity or tannin from the cork helps matters.
At any rate, it would have been better to have sliced and served the cork.