Octopuses are perfectly adapted to the freezing process, which makes them a unique culinary ingredient. The freezing process makes octopus meat more tender because the microcrystals that are formed during the process break down the muscle fibers, making the meat more soft and tender during cooking.
The main difference between commercially available frozen and fresh octopus is that frozen octopus is already pre-cleaned. They are usually devoid of entrails and an ink sac, which in octopuses is relatively small compared to other cephalopods. Cleaning an octopus involves cutting out or pressing out with your fingers the beak between the arms, made up of two dark chitin plates, and cutting out the eyes and the cartilage structure behind them.
It is best to defrost octopus in the refrigerator for a few hours on a tray or immersed in water if the size allows for doing that.
Time management is important when cooking octopus because, like most seafood, it requires either a short or very long cooking process. Inadequate cooking time can make the octopus rubbery and unpleasant in taste. It is worth remembering that during cooking, the octopus reduces its volume by about half, releasing a lot of aromatic liquid, which is enough for proper cooking.
Octopus can be cooked in olive oil with spices, covered. The cooking process can be continued for a longer time until the meat becomes soft and juicy.
Spices ideal for octopus are: thyme, rosemary, sweet pepper, chili and garlic.
Octopus is not eaten raw as rule. It’s meat is too hard and for sure it requires additional treatments to soften it.
If you don't have time and don't want to prepare raw octopus from scratch yourself, we encourage you to buy our already cooked octopus tentacles, ready to be heated.>>>
We encourage you to experiment with preparing octopus and enjoy its delicious taste!
