4 Awesome Octopus Dish Recipes

Have you ever tried to make an octopus dish at home? If the answer is no, and you were wondering what to eat with octopus, maybe now is the time to try it. Even if it seems complicated, the effort you put in the cooking at the end is always worth it.   Many octopus recipes worldwide are waiting for you to try them, and it would be a shame not to. We've made a list of the best octopus dishes that you can easily recreate at home, and we hope you'll try some of them, if not all. 

The Best Way to Prepare Octopus Meat 

Compared to other cephalopods, like cuttlefish or squid, octopus meat is much tougher, so you need to know how to cook it. And the longer you cook it, the more tender it is. The best way to eliminate the toughness and make it tender to eat is to simmer it in a liquid.   Even if the octopus is prepared for sushi and sashimi, it's recommended to poach it briefly in water. You should avoid eating it completely raw, as it's not that appetizing. 

The Best Octopus Dishes 

Here is the list of four octopus dish recipes we know you will love. 

Potato Salad with Octopus 

The first recipe we will share with you is for a delicate potato salad, full of flavor. You will need Yukon gold potatoes, as they are the best to have in a salad, and octopus tentacles. Besides that, you will need red onion, garlic, fresh parsley, and some good-quality extra-virgin olive oil.  To make the octopus meat as tender as possible, you'll want to simmer it in water for about an hour. Add some chopped onions, carrots, and bay leaf to the water to make the meat even more delicious. Meanwhile, in another pot, boil the potatoes. Once both of these are cooked, let them cool before cutting them into smaller pieces.  Combine the meat and the potatoes in a bowl; add some chopped red onions, finely chopped garlic, fresh parsley, and a generous amount of olive oil. Add a bit of salt, and season everything with ground black pepper to taste.  This salad will become your go-to one whenever you crave something delightful yet straightforward, and it's an effortless octopus dish to make at home. 

Red Wine-Braised Octopus 

If you want to make an elaborate meal, you should try this octopus recipe. Anything made with red wine has to be delicious, and there is no exception here.  Before you start, you need to clean one whole octopus and chop its head and tentacles. Other ingredients you'll want to prepare are the onion, carrots, garlic cloves, a can of chopped tomatoes, pitted Kalamata olives, fresh parsley, extra virgin olive oil, and some good-quality wine.  In a large saucepan, heat some olive oil, and add chopped onions, carrots, and garlic. Continue to cook it over medium heat and stir occasionally. Sauté everything for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes, olives, and red wine.  In a separate skillet, fry the octopus meat on a bit of olive, and season it with salt and pepper. After two minutes, take the meat out and add it to the red wine sauce. You'll want to simmer everything on low heat for about 30 minutes.  Once it is done, try it, and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve it with chopped fresh parsley, and enjoy. 

Fresh Octopus Salad 

This salad may look plain and simple; however, it's complex and full of flavor. It's fresh, tangy, and most of all, delicious. It's a perfect summer salad you'll want to share with your loved ones and one of the best octopus dishes.  You'll need a fennel bulb, carrot, small red onion, scallions, radicchio leaves, and fresh parsley for the vegetable part. You also want to get the freshest octopus tentacles, dry white wine, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic cloves, olive oil, and some ground pepper and dried oregano.   In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and fry the tentacles for a few minutes. Then lower the heat and add the whole bottle of white wine, a cup of water, garlic cloves, and season with ground pepper and oregano. Leave the octopus meat to braise in the sauce until tender for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes. Keep the heat low and cover the saucepan. Once it is done, transfer the octopus to a plate, and let it cool before you chop it.  Mix red wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, and dried oregano in a large bowl to make a dressing. Add the chopped vegetables to it, and mix everything well. Add the chopped meat, try it, and add a pinch of salt if you think it's needed.  This octopus recipe takes time, it is a labor of love, but it is an excellent dish if you want to impress your guests. 

Grilled Octopus with Chili Sauce 

This octopus dish is perfect for anyone that likes a little bit of heat in their meals. It is a time-consuming recipe, but you'll absolutely love the results, so it doesn't matter. The first step is to prepare the octopus, which is a lengthy part. You'll need to get one whole cleaned octopus, with the head separated from the tentacles, some shallots, garlic cloves, smoked paprika, olive oil, and 2 cups of dry sherry.  Heat the olive oil in an oven-safe casserole and brown the octopus for a few minutes. Remove from the heat, add the chopped shallots, garlic, smoked paprika, sherry, and oil, and transfer everything to a preheated oven. The meat will be tender after about 1 hour and 30 minutes, and you should let it cool before handling.  In the meantime, you can make the chili sauce. You'll need a can of tomato sauce, a few chopped chili peppers, garlic cloves, salt, and apple cider vinegar. The amount of chili peppers depends on how spicy you like it. Add everything to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer the sauce on low heat until it reduces to a thicker consistency. Once it's cooled, try it and season more with salt if necessary. Finally, blend the sauce for a smoother consistency. If you don't want to make your own chili sauce, you can use your favorite store-bought one.  The last step is to grill the octopus, and you can do it in a pan or on an outdoor grill. Do it over high heat for 5 minutes, until visible charred lines appear. Brush it with the sauce you made and serve it immediately.  If you wonder what to eat with an octopus made this way, the correct answer is a simple salad made with crunchy vegetables and a citrusy dressing. 

If You Crave Something Special 

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