Octopus--have you dared?

[Carrot Top]

Never had it fresh.

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I've had the pleasure of "catching" both octopus and whelk and really, this idea of "fresh" takes on new meaning when the octopus is slithering off down the dock like a prehistoric monster as you chase it with your knife - and whelk is even more trouble for you have to extract the thing from its shell which is no small task.

Makes one appreciate the canning industry.

But conch *is* rubbery. Worse than octopus. Gives new meaning to the word "ominivore". Heh. "One who eats anything", perhaps.

[Chris Amirault]

It is takoyaki.  This is a specialty food of Osaka.  Batter with pickled ginger and scallions is poured into the grill.  A piece of boiled octopus is added and a bit more batter is added.  When the bottom browns and crisps, a metal skewer is run around the edges and then the takoyaki preparer deftly turns the "ball" around so that the uncooked portion ends up on the bottom.

When the "balls" are cooked you add some sauce and mayonnaise and some katsuo-bushi (bonito) flakes and some powdered seaweed (aonori).  There are several sauce/topping options. 

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Of course! I knew I had seen it somewhere, but couldn't place it. I had takoyaki at a stand in Tokyo -- and it was just eh.....

[SobaAddict70]

Hearth Restaurant prepares it by braising octopus in red wine, then pairs it with cubes of potato and celeriac sauteed in butter.

The result is absolutely divine.

[Behemoth]

Here in Philly, the gold standard is the grilled octopus at Dmitri's.

Moving away from Philly (and Dmitri's) is exactly what pushed me to try making it myself. I daresay I have been coming pretty close lately!

edit: Katie, I became a huge fan of conch after living in florida. There was a tiny little Caribbean place near my grandparents' house that had the most amazing spicy conch chowder. Another sea creature that benefits from being frozen, actually...

Edited October 24, 2005 by Behemoth (log)

[mizducky]

I have loved the octopus I've tried in restaurants--including Asian preparations that leave it a little more on the chewy side. A relatively-good Asian buffet I frequent often has a lovely spicy octopus salad. I love tako sushi. I've also had a Japanese salad of whole baby octopuses--even I had to pause momentarily at the look of a bowlful of the little critters, but boy they sure tasted good.

Haven't quite gotten up the nerve to cook it at home, though I've seen it in markets around here--apparently it's big with Mexican as well as Asian cooks. I'd have to wait for a weekend when Fearless Housemate is way out of town--I bet he'd totally freak at the sight of the critters, let alone catching a glimpse of me attempting to dismember one.

[KatieLoeb]

Here in Philly, the gold standard is the grilled octopus at Dmitri's.

Moving away from Philly (and Dmitri's) is exactly what pushed me to try making it myself. I daresay I have been coming pretty close lately!

edit: Katie, I became a huge fan of conch after living in florida. There was a tiny little Caribbean place near my grandparents' house that had the most amazing spicy conch chowder. Another sea creature that benefits from being frozen, actually...

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Behemoth:

Sounds like the octopus experiments have been paying off! If it's even coming close to Dmitri's it has to be pretty good.

I've had conch fritters in Florida too. I recall them being pretty tasty. The fritters that Carrot Top describes with the coconut milk and the mint-coriander dipping sauce sound divine!

[Carrot Top]

It's more like those fritters are excellent conveyances for the sauces, I think, Katie, but thanks.

Next time a whelk wanders across my path, I'll try to write down the recipe to send along.

This may require a Florida Keys vacation. Yes.

[touaregsand]

I grew up eating octopus and conch. They never seemed exotic or strange to me. Koreans eat quite a bit of both. Conch was considered a somewhat expensive delicacy.

[mrbigjas]

Here in Philly, the gold standard is the grilled octopus at Dmitri's.

Moving away from Philly (and Dmitri's) is exactly what pushed me to try making it myself. I daresay I have been coming pretty close lately!

so... you wanna post a recipe for us?

i remember reading an article one time, where they were talking to the folks that cook at dmitri's, and the reporter said, what's the trick to making it so tender? he said, what trick? boil it for three hours, it'll get tender.

i haven't ever tried it, though.

[KatieLoeb]

I have tentative plans for dinner at Dmitri's tomorrow night. If I make it, I'll see if I can get the line cooks to reveal the secret. I always like to sit at the counter anyway...

[KatieLoeb]

It's more like those fritters are excellent conveyances for the sauces, I think, Katie, but thanks.

Next time a whelk wanders across my path, I'll try to write down the recipe to send along.

This may require a Florida Keys vacation. Yes. 

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I'd wait a couple of weeks until the power is back in the Keys. From CNN it looks like they took a beating today with Wilma.

Your analogy makes me think of gefilte fish as a delivery vehicle for horseradish.

[Rebel Rose]

I love the squeaky texture and fresh, light flavor of baby octopus. We fell in love with tako poke in Hawaii, and we eat buckets of it when there. The Korean kimchee sauce in which it's usually served is too hot for me in that quantity, so we usually make a big salad of local greens and serve the tako on top.

According to the staff at Big Daddy's in Kaunakakai, an octopus of 1-2 pounds should be slow simmered. Smaller tako can be frozen, poached, or beaten to tenderize them, like the abalone that we are more familiar with here in California.

[Behemoth]

Here in Philly, the gold standard is the grilled octopus at Dmitri's.

Moving away from Philly (and Dmitri's) is exactly what pushed me to try making it myself. I daresay I have been coming pretty close lately!

so... you wanna post a recipe for us?

i remember reading an article one time, where they were talking to the folks that cook at dmitri's, and the reporter said, what's the trick to making it so tender? he said, what trick? boil it for three hours, it'll get tender.

i haven't ever tried it, though.

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Yup, the long boil is pretty much the trick. Seriously. Actually, I defrost, rise well, quickly sautee with some garlic and hot chili until it changes color, and then cover with water, add a bay leaf and simmer for at least an hour or so. Basically as soon as you can easily poke a knife through it. After that, whenever you are ready, just chuck it on the coals for a minute or two, and then add salt, vinegar or lemon & oil. I think what I did ended up being some combination of the instructions out of the Babbo cookbook, and Bittaman's how to cook everything.

[touaregsand]

Spicy Tunisian Octopus Soup

I like raw octopus, fried octopus, slow cooked octopus....