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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 cook at home no worse than in a restaurant. We offer you to get acquainted with this amazing clam. And the Maguro trademark will help us in this.
Proper shellfish
Most often, stores sell frozen octopuses. If you have found a fresh clam, carefully examine it from the head to the tips of the tentacles. The flesh should be dense and smooth, with a light fishy aroma. When pressed, it easily restores its shape — this is a sign of a fresh product. This is also indicated by light, unclouded eyes.
If you are preparing an octopus for the first time, it is better to hedge your bets and take a high-quality frozen product. Like the Maguro octopus. By the way, this brand supplies large whole octopuses from Indonesia, and mini-octopuses from China. In addition to them, the company’s line includes Far Eastern squid tentacles, which will also appeal to seafood connoisseurs. In any case, the quality and freshness do not cause any doubts. All these products are subjected to shock freezing, so that they retain their taste and nutritional properties.
Session with exposure
The frozen octopus, to the delight of the housewives, has already been gutted. But over the fresh carcass will have to work hard. First, it is thoroughly washed under a stream of cold water, paying special attention to the tentacles with suckers. Then cut off the head bag and clean out all the contents. After that, the “beak” is removed, located in the very center of the base, from which the tentacles diverge. Last of all, the eyes are cut out with scissors and, if necessary, the head bag is cut into fragments.
In the cutting of the octopus, there is another important nuance. The skin of a fresh clam is not removed. It separates extremely difficult with the risk of damaging the carcass itself. To do this, it is lowered into boiling water for about 5-10 minutes and immediately doused with ice water. After that, the skin tightens easily, like a stocking.
The art of cooking
Like all seafood, octopus requires delicate heat treatment. If you overdo it on the fire, the pulp will become rubbery and tasteless. Cooking almost always begins with cooking.
The clam is placed in boiling water. And first they lower the tentacles, and when they begin to curl and change color, they submerge the head. In the process of cooking, salt is not put in any case — it will make the pulp hard. But additives like peppercorns, dill, bay leaves or lemon juice are only welcome.
Mini-octopuses will last 5 minutes, while large individuals cook for half an hour or longer. Please note that they are cooked on the lowest heat. The bubbling water will hopelessly spoil the taste. And experts advise you to throw a wine cork made of corky wood into the pan. This will give the product tenderness and softness.
Octopus with a light
Fried octopus in hot sauce is one of the most harmonious variations. Defrost the carcass of the octopus “Maguro”, wash, cut and cook under a closed lid on low heat. The readiness to check is simple — pierce the densest part with a fork. It should freely enter the pulp. When the carcass cools down, cut the tentacles into circles, and the base into strips.
In a frying pan with preheated olive oil, passer 2 cloves of garlic and a red onion. Add 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 4 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp grated ginger, ½ tsp chili flakes and salt to taste. After adding a little sauce, lay the octopus and fry for a couple of minutes. Then remove it from the heat and let it stand under the lid for 10 minutes. You can serve the octopus without a side dish as a hot appetizer.
Tired of wine
Octopus stewed in wine with the addition of fragrant herbs is a dish for fine connoisseurs of seafood. Prepare the carcass of the octopus “Maguro”, as in the previous recipe, sprinkle with a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice, leave for 20 minutes.
At this time, brown the chopped red onion in butter until golden brown.
Pour out the slices of octopus, put a pinch of basil, thyme and anise. If you want to add bright burning notes, add ground chili. Pour 100 ml of dry white wine and evaporate. Then pour in the water so that it barely covers the octopus. Then add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, mix, cover with a lid and simmer until tender. You can add pasta or wild rice to this dish.
Made for each other
Now we offer to bake the octopus in the oven. In advance, we will cook 1 kg of potatoes and cut them into circles. The thawed carcass of the octopus “Maguro” is washed, dried, wrapped in cling film and lightly beaten with a hammer. This will make it more soft and tender.
We divide the carcass into its component parts, cut it into large pieces, put it in a deep form with foil and send it to the oven at 200°C for 10 minutes. Drain the released liquid, lubricate the octopus with oyster sauce, sprinkle with crushed garlic, and spread the potato slices on top. Sprinkle it with olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary and salt. In this form, again put the form in the oven, this time for 10 minutes at 250°C. Garnish with cherry tomatoes and parsley before serving.
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 brand “Maguro” made sure that such a product was on your table. And you, in turn, were able to please the whole family with delicious octopus dishes.