Basque-style Octopus Braise This Basque-style octopus braise is inspired by a veal dish from the town of Espelette, famous for its dried mild red peppers. I wanted to create a pescatarian-friendly version, but it’s challenging finding seafood that can stand up to a long braise; so few aquatic species lend themselves to that style of […]
Crispy Octopus with Prickly Ash The Chinese double cooking method of poaching or braising then frying is rarely used with seafood due to its delicate texture. The exception is octopus, which can be tough if not cooked correctly; large octopus tentacles benefit greatly from this technique, but it also works well with baby octopus. Prickly […]
Southern-style BBQ Octopus Traditional southern barbecue is all about sturdy cuts of beef and pork that can take a long slow cook. My Southern-style BBQ octopus is the pescatarian equivalent as, like its cephalopod cousins squid and cuttlefish, it needs to be cooked either very quickly or very slowly, anything in between will render it […]
Octopus Cooked Ossobuco-style With its firm texture, octopus lends itself perfectly to the long slow braise that makes traditional ossobuco so delicious and fall apart tender. Large ‘hands’ of octopus tentacles can be cooked this way as well: cut them into large bite-sized pieces and bake for 2½ hours covered then 20 minutes uncovered. Octopus […]
Mojo Octopus Octopus is great barbecued, especially after a bath in this delicious Cuban-inspired mojo marinade. Unlike most seafood, octopus (and its cephalopod cousins squid and cuttlefish) can be marinated overnight, though a few hours at room temperature will do if you’re short on time. Prawns work well with this versatile marinade too and are […]
