cooking baby octopus

[julieann]

Hi people, am having a barbie on aust dayand wanted to try baby octopus, can anyone help out with tips for preparation and cooking on
gas barbie.
# # #I need all the help i can get, as i don't have a clue what to do with them. #[smiley=helpa.gif] #[smiley=helpa.gif]

[jaybee]

would you like to try this and let me know how it turns out, i usually do mine in a wok.
cheers
Joe

Ingredients:
800 g baby octopus
2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
1/4 cup water
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon Thai sweet chilli sauce
1 medium red capsicum, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
2 tablespoons lime juice

1. Clean octopus with a small sharp knife. Cut off head, or slit open, and remove gut.
2. Pick up body, push beak up with index finger; remove and discard. Clean octopus well under running water; pat dry with paper towel.
3. Combine with oil, water and garlic. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 1 to 2 hours.
4. Heat barbecue or grill. When hot, cook octopus for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Drain well on paper towel. Combine chilli sauce, pepper, coriander and lime juice in serving bowl. Add octopus and stir.
5. Serve warm or cold.

[NeilD]

Marinate for a couple of hours in garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. About 2 mins on a very hot BBQ plate.

Don't overcook or they are better used as rubber bullets.

Neil

[Freeeedom]

I've always had trouble with the toughness of baby octopus no matter how you cook them until I found this method which makes them very tender.

1 kilogram baby octopus (uncooked)
1 litre vegetable stock
300ml white wine
juice of one lemon

Marinade:

250ml virgin olive oil
100ml balsamic vinegar
50ml white wine
50ml lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
freshly ground black pepper

Bring stock, wine and lemon juice to the boil, add the octopus and simmer gently until octopus is tender. Drain and cool.

Mix all marinade ingredients together. Pour over cooked octopus and let stand for at least three hours or preferably overnight.

Heat barbecue or char grill till very hot and quickly sear the octopus until crispy.

The only drawback to this is that the octopus tend to shrink during the simmering process so that you need to overcater a bit to allow for this, but the end result is worth it - they are really great done this way
Cheers Freeeedom

[Punkin]

I've always had trouble with the toughness of baby octopus no matter how you cook them until I found this method which makes them very tender.

1 kilogram baby octopus (uncooked)
1 litre vegetable stock
300ml white wine
juice of one lemon

Marinade:

250ml virgin olive oil
100ml balsamic vinegar
50ml white wine
50ml lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
freshly ground black pepper

Bring stock, wine and lemon juice to the boil, add the octopus and simmer gently until octopus is tender. Drain and cool.

Mix all marinade ingredients together. Pour over cooked octopus and let stand for at least three hours or preferably overnight.

Heat barbecue or char grill till very hot and quickly sear the octopus until crispy.

The only drawback to this is that the octopus tend to shrink during the simmering process so that you need to overcater a bit to allow for this, but the end result is worth it - they are really great done this way
Cheers #Freeeedom

Tried this recipe last night, gotta say the baby occies were still on the chewy side.
Approx how long would you say 'Simmer till tender' takes?
Gave em 10 or 12 mins i reckon.

[Freeeedom]

Sounds about right - I try a leg off one every now and then until they have softened. It's important that the time on the barbie is very short or they will toughen up again. They have to be seared or 'flash fried' very quickly and then served immediately.
Cheers Freeeedom

[Volvo]

Bit late for this one but must add that baby occy aint fer the barbi!!..Its to be either pickled or cooked in red wine, garlic n tommy paste. i'll post the method or recipe when have more time at hand.
The bigger occies are more suited for the barbi but must be pre dried (via the clothline method and presoftened a wee bit prior to doing on the barbi and do come up a treat...
Good chance if spilling the beans on these recipies would be the end of my red bait supply ..

[Punkin]

Good chance if spilling the beans on these recipies would be the end of my red bait supply

Ya can just pm em to me, Peter

You know i'm only eatin frozen Coles imported crap down here, not your fresh favourite Emporer mouthfulls.

[Volvo]

Frozen Coles imports!!!!! FECK!!! Garry how could ya eat the stuff!!??? Taint fresh n local, taint good!! ..
Brisvages over the weekend and went fer a feed at Carindale shopping centre..Missus wanted a feed of crumbed fish, so without mentioning the outlet fer fear of reprisal lol i asked what type of fish it was on display in their baymarie??..
Bassa!! was the reply..
"Bassra ya mean, vietnamese catfish thats been talked about on the telly???.."
"Nah this is fresh good wholesome Fish we sell", Bassa n tastes a treat ".
"Sorry but me thinks that this bassa or whatever ya calling it is imported catfish and been some talk about where it comes out of"..
Cut the story short , me Missus drags me away with embarrasment for fear of me making a scene..And person behind counter quite pleasesd to see the tail of us also..
Anyhows due to the lack o interest by then it was a feed of macca's instead which aint quite sure if it was any better ..
Anyhows next time you get ahold of fresh occy, PM me and i'll set ya straight on best method of preparing and eating.
Cheers and all the best to the familly ey..
Peter

[pog mo hoin]

Marinate the cleaned occy in red wine vinegar, garlic and olive oil for at least 48 hrs with a couple of slices of kiwi or paw paw in it. Best done on the char grill of the BBQ so you get the full flame grill effect. You can even go to the trouble of popping them on bamboo skewers if you like...... but make sure you soak your skewers in water for a couple of hrs so they don't burn as much. Once they are cooked chuck them into a salad (NO LETTUCE) ofBaby Spinach Leaves, Fetta Cheese, Kalamata Olives, Sun Dried Tomato, Caper Berries, Cherry Tomato, Fresh Picked Basil Leaves. Splash with the red wine vinegarette and plenty of cracked black pepper. Accompany with crusty Garlic bread ( Home Made ) and have a bottle or 3 of Victorian Ghost Gum Shiraz 2000.
Regards

[Volvo]

See this post is still up n running and i havent come back with the recipe but will do an upload of how did it last i remember fer fear of you rooening the poor buggers .....

Depending on how many of the wee fellas ya have a good drop of Olive oil in the bottom of your pot followed by ample crushed garlic , some sliced onions and just braise these fer a wee while..
Have your cleaned baby occies ready and cleaned as mentioned earlier..( I just slice halfe the occie sideways tearing away the beak and head internals in one go and wash thoroughly)...
Drop all the baby occies into the pot and ever so slowly cook over low heat. occies will produce quite a bit of their own water as they are mostly made up of fluid ey..
When all or most the water/fluid has evaporated add some nice REd Wine and stir whilst again slowly cooking..Dont be shy with the wine either..This slow process will get rid of the toughness others have mentioned regarding the baby aoccie as baby occie should NEVER!!!!!! Ever!!!! end up tough or chewy..Should melt in the mouth ey..
Now where wus we!!??, okay me remembers ..Tomato paste n i mean Tomato paste good old Italian thick tomato paste!!, add at least halfe a tin in the pot and again let stew ever so slowly whilst stiring, never stop the stiring..
If yourve added enough garlic n wine your nostrils should about tell you when the feckers are ready to be chewed on..
Dont know bout anyone else but one hell of a feast these little fellas make especially if freshly caught and have been frozen after catching ey..
Can eat em with rice, salad or whatever turns ya on Seafood wise..
Or just as a Mezze(Entree) With a nice shot or two or three or more of Plomari Ouzo with a smidgeon of Ice only......
The Wine , Tomato paste n garlic make this Dish so dont be shy with these engrediants..
let me know how they turned out ey...
PS.....Kalli Oreksi(Bon Appetite i think the french say??)

[Volvo]

PS salt n pepper to your taste whilst cooking..Dont need to tell you better less at first and add to taste as you merrily cook away..
Cheers