Baby Octopus Spanish Recipe

Sous Vide Octopus Spanish Tapas is very tender, and simply seasoned with garlic and smoked paprika for the perfect tapas. I’m a bit obsessed with octopus – how to prepare it so it is super tender. I’ve read articles that suggest many different ways to cook octopus until tender. These methods include beating the octopus against rocks until tender, freezing octopus, adding vinegar when cooking, and adding a wine cork to the braising liquid. Some people slow cook octopus, others pressure cook it.

Recently, I tried making sous vide octopus to see whether or not this method of cooking would yield a tender octopus. I’ve used a pressure cooker to make Greek Grilled Octopus with Rosemary and Thyme with great success (it takes just 10 minutes), so I was curious to see how sous vide octopus would compare.

Octopus can be found in the fresh seafood section of some supermarkets as well as in the freezer section. Handling octopus is definitely not for the squeamish, so you have to really love octopus to make it at home.

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To simplify the sous vide method, I simply placed the seasoned octopus in a Ziploc bag with rosemary, garlic, and olive oil.

Using the water displacement method, I sealed the bag once the bag was immersed in the sous vide bath. I used a wet kitchen cloth to keep the bag immersed during the cooking process.

The result? The octopus was evenly cooked through (one of the biggest advantages of sous vide cooking) and tender, but still firm. If you’re a curious cook like me, you will want to try this method and compare it to pressure cooking octopus. It does take more time (5 hours versus 10 minutes), but the octopus cooks unattended. Personally, I think the sous vide octopus was firmer than the pressure cooked octopus, but I like the idea of marinating the octopus in the rosemary olive oil mixture for a longer period of time.Here’s an easy, outrageously delicious way to cook baby octopus: simmered until tender, marinated in bold Mediterranean flavours, then seared until crispy. Add aGreek Salad, bread for mopping and a glass of chilled wine for the perfect summer meal!

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Introducing……the RecipeTin Family baby octopus recipe! Tightly held for years, I’ve finally been granted permission to share. I’m completely mad for it – and I’m hoping to make you fall in love with it too.

I know octopus is a mystery to many, unsure how to approach cooking it. So my goal today is to show you how straightforward it actually is and convince you how

Think – tender flesh with crispy legs, infused with a stack of Mediterranean lemon-garlic flavour. You don’t need any special equipment, and there’s no fiddly preparation required.

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A note on the octopus debate – As with a number of other foods, such as veal, and even Australia’s favourite fish – salmon – there are ethical debates regarding the consumption of octopus. For octopus, the conversation centres around its intelligence and sustainable farming. I choose to play my part by sourcing octopus from sustainable Australian sources. Ask your fish monger. They should know!

There seems to be a lot of information “out there” for tips and tricks to tenderise octopus. I don’t get why – it’s simple. Just simmer on a low heat until it’s tender. It usually takes 1 hour, irrespective of octopus size (baby octopus or legs of large ones), and you can just pull one out at any time to check.

Once it’s tender, you could eat it as is, just drizzled with a dressing or a sauce (try chimichurri, romesco or Sauce Vierge). But I like to marinate it in a bold Mediterranean lemon-garlic marinade to infuse with flavour then sear until crispy!

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To serve, pile the octopus on a platter, drizzle with lemon juice, sprinkle with parsley and chilli and add some fresh lemon wedges so people can add more lemon to taste.

The “hard and fast” method – Octopus can also be cooked by searing very quickly over high heat, like steak. The flesh will be tender although chewier than the slow-simmer method I’m sharing today. Although I’ve had great quick-seared octopus in my time, I find that the quality of octopus really comes into play. Today’s braising method is safer – and to be honest, I prefer it because you can get more flavour in the dish!

Well, firstly, we need baby octopus. 🙂 It is sold fresh or frozen at seafood shops. If frozen, let it thaw and drain off the excess water before using.

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The octopus should be sold already cleaned which means the beak (bone like piece on the head) has been removed. The skin should still be on and we will not be removing it because it softens when cooked.

The braising liquid is like a lemony vegetable stock, infused with flavour from lemon, bay leaves, parsley, garlic and black peppercorns. It’s fairly neutral, and this step is more about getting some subtle flavour into the octopus flesh.

The marinade – Octopus is actually very mild and delicate so it’s a terrific sponge for flavour. In this recipe, I’m using a bold Mediterranean marinade made with lemon, garlic, olive oil and a good hit of red chilli flakes for little pops of heat. These flavours are a natural fit with octopus which is a favourite all across the Mediterranean!

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The garnish – I use a sprinkle of parsley (just pick some leaves off the stems before adding into the braising liquid), lemon and slices of large red chilli, more for a splash of bright colour rather than extra spiciness (because the large chillies aren’t spicy).

A dish this fabulous needs little more than a simple garden salad and some crusty bread to mop up all those juices you see on the plate. Add a glass of cold wine and you have yourself a spectacular meal for a hot summer day.

I know this recipe will be far from the most popular on this website, being that octopus is not, well, you know,

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. 😂 And it makes me a little sad to think of all those people in this world who will never experience the awesomeness that is baby octopus.

But for those of you reading, I really hope you give this a go someday! It’s a little special, not something you can find at your usual suburban restaurants. And it’s just so easy!

Recipe video above. Here's an easy, outrageously delicious way to cook baby octopus: simmered until tender, marinated in bold Mediterranean flavours, seared until crispy. Add aGreek Salad, bread for mopping and a glass of chilled wine for the perfect summer meal!

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2 kg / 4 lb raw baby octopus will serve 5 to 6 people as a main – it shrinks quite substantially. It might even be better the next day, so look forward to leftovers!

1. Baby octopus is sold fresh and frozen. I buy mine frozen in 2 kg / 4 lb blocks at my local seafood shop. Thaw, drain well, then use per recipe. No need to peel the skin, it’s cooked until tender. You won’t even notice the skin.

Tenderness – easy to tell when it’s ready, it should be tender but not overcooked so it gets mushy. Start checking at 45 minutes. Mine are usually done in 1 hour, for slightly larger ones it might take 70 minutes.

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Large octopus legs – Keep whole and follow recipe as written. They should take around the same time to become tender even though they are thicker.

2. Smashed garlic cloves – leave the skin on. Place the side of a chef’s knife on the garlic then bang with the palm of your hand to make the garlic burst open but mostly hold together. Garlic flavour will infuse into the braising liquid but it’s easy to pick out later.

4. Crushed potatoes –I boiled 500g baby potatoes with the octopus for the last 30 minutes. Lightly crushed them and poured over the residual marinade after removing the octopus to cook it (it’s flavour loaded, don’t waste it!!)

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Calories: 394 cal (20%) Carbohydrates: 12 g (4%) Protein: 50 g (100%) Fat: 15 g (23%) Saturated Fat: 2 g (13%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g Monounsaturated Fat: 9 g Trans Fat: 0.01 g Cholesterol: 160 mg (53%) Sodium: 1777 mg (77%) Potassium: 1241 mg (35%) Fiber: 1 g (4%) Sugar: 1 g (1%) Vitamin A: 609 IU (12%) Vitamin C: 23 mg (28%) Calcium: 218 mg (22%) Iron: 18 mg (100%)

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!