Everyone knows that seafood is of great value to the human body. It is useful to eat not only fatty varieties of fish, but also various exotic sea creatures. In particular, the octopus has a rich chemical composition, which is necessary for both women and men. However, it is important to properly prepare the product, not to overcook. How long to cook octopus? What is the best way to weld the tentacles so that they are not stiff?

How to cook octopus properly?

To make the product tasty, not tough, you need to know the secrets of cooking. So, the octopus is cooked in a saucepan with a closed lid, over medium heat. If you cook seafood over high heat, all the moisture will come out quickly, but its cooking will not speed up. Before throwing the delicacy into the pan, it must first be prepared.

If you purchased a whole seaweed carcass, and not its individual tentacles, you need to rinse it thoroughly, try to remove all the contents of the head and eyes. Often in hypermarkets, octopuses are sold along with an ink bag. It is also subject to mandatory removal. The bag is located on the inside of the head.

If separate parts of the octopus carcass were purchased, it is enough just to rinse them under running water. A large octopus must first be beaten off. Then it will turn out tender and soft. This should be done carefully, through cling film so as not to damage the structure. Also, to get a delicious delicacy, follow these tips:

• Dip the octopus only in already boiling water. If you put the tentacles in immediately, in a cold liquid, they will turn out to be hard, rubbery.
• Use the minimum amount of water for cooking so that the product cooks almost in its juice. So, it is enough to pour only 2-3 centimeters of liquid into the dishes.
• Cook octopus exclusively under a closed lid. So the meat will boil better, it will not become tough.
• Leave the octopus to cool in the same water that it was boiled.
• Salt the product at the very end of cooking so that it remains as juicy as possible.

Read also How long to cook salmon

How to cook frozen octopus? Frozen food must be thawed in the refrigerator. Do not give it to high temperatures to speed up this process. The meat will change its structure very quickly and become rubbery. If the octopuses are small, they can be cooked immediately without defrosting. Then, you need to go through all the same processes of preparing the product, cooking.

The process of cooking a delicacy in a pressure cooker

A slightly different product is prepared in a double boiler. So, a small amount of water is poured into the double boiler, salt and spices are added to taste. The water should boil. Only after that, the pieces of octopus are immersed in the container for 3 seconds. You need to dip the product 3 times for 3 seconds. After such “baths”, the octopus is lowered into water, covered with a lid and boiled.

To make the product juicy and tasty, it is advised to chop the onion head into the octopus broth. If you ignore the process of "bathing", the carcass will be tough, lose its softness and juiciness. Another secret to a delicious dish used in various recipes is the use of a wooden cork from a wine bottle. The cork is simply placed in the pot with the octopus. The wood that is used to make corks does not spoil the taste of seafood, but only makes it soft. Also, there are options for cooking small pieces of tentacles in batter in a pan, in beer, on the grill.

How much to cook octopus tentacles?

The period of preparation of the product depends entirely on its size. In general, the cooking time can be from 5 to 60 minutes. So, the octopus is preparing:

If until recently we saw exotic inhabitants of the deep sea only on TV screens, today they can be found on store shelves. And some of them make very tasty dishes! And how to cook an octopus so that it is tasty and healthy?

How to make the right choice?

First of all, you should choose an octopus.

• Frozen or fresh? If you want to get the maximum benefit and enjoy a delicate taste, then it is advisable to choose fresh. But you will probably have to cut it, although you can ask the seller about it (he will probably have to pay). And if you want to save time and effort, you can also buy frozen octopus, in this form the carcasses are usually sold already completely cut and cooked even faster, and this is very convenient.
• Pay attention to the size. Small octopuses have more tender flesh, medium ones are more nutritious, but a large adult octopus weighing about two to three kilograms can be “rubber”.
• Rate the look. But such a criterion will be relevant only if you buy a fresh octopus. The surface of the carcass should be shiny, the color should be burgundy-brownish and uniform. No damage is allowed.
• Study the smell. It is specific, but quite pleasant. He definitely shouldn't give away "rotten stuff".

Proper cooking preparation

Preparation consists of several stages:

1. First, the carcass must be thawed if it is frozen. But this should be done only at room temperature, that is, in a natural way, and not in a microwave oven.
2. Next, rinse the octopus thoroughly under running cold water to remove all the mucus.
3. It is not worth cleaning the carcasses before cooking, the skin is removed very, very difficult, so it is better to get rid of it after heat treatment (then it will peel off quickly). But if the octopus is adult and large, then its shell will be quite dense, so that it can be scraped off with a knife already at this stage.
4. Now you need to cut the carcass (the frozen one will probably already be cut). To do this, it is more convenient to first cut off the tentacles, but this is not necessary. Next, cut off the lower part of the head, that is, the support on which the tentacles are held. In it you will find a mouth opening that looks like a tooth or a beak. It needs to be removed. To do this, first, as it were, squeeze it out, and then cut it out with a knife. Also cut out the eyes.
5. Now wash the inside of the head well to remove all offal, as well as ink, if any. Then you can turn it out and rinse again.
6. If the octopus is large, then it is advisable to beat it off before cooking.

How to cook?

If you decide to cook octopus for the first time, then the easiest way for you will be boiling. But how long to cook it to make it tasty? Processing should be short, otherwise the meat will become stringy and tough, like rubber (this is a very common problem).

Your task is simply to exterminate all pathogenic organisms. Small octopuses need to be boiled for only about five to seven minutes, larger ones - about 20. But a large octopus can be cooked for about an hour.

You can check readiness with a toothpick. Pierce it with the largest part of the carcass, that is, the head. If the toothpick comes in easily and quickly, then the octopus is ready. If not, cook it some more. And after cooking, you can remove the skin.

How to cook?

How to cook octopus if you want to make a more interesting dish? Below are some interesting options.

Option number 1

You can bake octopus with potatoes. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 kg of octopuses (or a whole carcass);
• 1 kg of potatoes;
• parsley;
• five cloves of garlic;
• three tablespoons of lemon juice;
• olive oil;
• salt to taste.

Cooking:

1. Potatoes need to be peeled, cut into slices and boiled.
2. Boil the octopus and cut it (small octopuses can not be chopped).
3. Grease the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil.
4. Put the potatoes mixed with the octopus in a dish, sprinkle everything with lemon juice and olive oil, and sprinkle with minced garlic and chopped parsley. Don't forget to salt the dish.

Option number 2

Try stewing octopus at home using sour cream and milk. Prepare:

• 500 grams of octopus;
• 2 glasses of milk;
• half a glass of sour cream;
• five tablespoons of flour;
• three tablespoons of white wine;
• a tablespoon of lemon juice;
• three cloves of garlic;
• two tablespoons of olive oil;
• salt and pepper to taste.

How to cook?

1. Octopuses need to be boiled for about 10 minutes, adding lemon juice and wine to the water.
2. Now clean the carcasses and cut into portions if they are large.
3. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, fry the garlic.
4. Add milk, and when it is hot, dissolve the flour in it.
5. Boil the sauce until boiling, then add sour cream.
6. Now lay out the octopuses.
7. Put pepper and salt in the pan, simmer the dish for five minutes and remove from heat.

Option number 3

You can make a delicious salad. Here's what you need for this:

• 500 grams of octopus;
• 4 potatoes;
• head of red onion;
• 10 cherry tomatoes;
• lettuce leaves;
• 60 grams of pitted olives;
• 5 tablespoons of olive oil;
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice;
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar;
• a teaspoon of liquid honey.

Cooking:

1. Boil the octopus, peel and cut.
2. Potatoes need to be boiled in their skins, peeled and cut into cubes.
3. Cherry cut into halves.
4. Onion cut into half rings.
5. Just tear lettuce leaves.
6. To make the sauce, combine vinegar, oil, lemon juice and honey.
7. Mix the ingredients, salt and season with sauce.
8. Salad ready!

1. You need to lower the octopus only in boiling water. Moreover, real experts advise doing this gradually: first, immerse the tentacles, and when they slightly change color and begin to curl, you can lower the whole carcass.
2. During cooking, in no case do not add salt, it will harden the pulp. For taste, you can use some fragrant seasoning.
3. If you do not want to beat the octopus, then you can freeze it, this technique will also allow you to soften the meat.
4. It is desirable to reduce the fire to a minimum, the carcasses should literally languish in barely boiling water, and not boil in a bubbling broth (then the taste will go bad).
5. To make the pulp more tender, you can add a cork from a bottle of wine (of course, not plastic) during cooking.
6. Octopuses go well with a variety of sauces, especially cream and soy sauces.
7. You can serve dishes with any side dishes, for example, with vegetables, spaghetti, rice.
8. To quickly remove the skin, after heat treatment, you can pour cold water over the octopus.

Choose the best recipe and be sure to surprise your family and guests with an unusual and delicious dish!

Feb 5, 2016 Olga

Common octopus tentacles ( Octopus vulgaris) is a very popular product of Mediterranean cuisine. In addition to excellent taste, which not everyone can appreciate, but only true gourmets and seafood lovers, octopus meat can serve as an excellent source of vitamin B12, selenium, zinc, iron and other substances necessary for the human body.

In the history of human civilization, there is cultural evidence that ancient people in the Mediterranean region knew about the existence of octopuses and fed on them. A prime example is a Bronze Age stone carving depicting a fisherman catching an octopus. These inhabitants of the deep sea are also mentioned in the art of the people who inhabited ancient Peru, who worshiped the sea and its inhabitants. In the traditional myths of the Hawaiian Islands, they were associated with the cosmos. It was believed that these are the only creatures that survived after the collapse of the previous universe.

For centuries, octopuses have been revered and respected. But if earlier it was dictated by sacred awe, now it is purely gastronomic interest.

Seafood lovers will also be interested in learning a little more about a wonderful delicacy called.

nutritional value

Two species of octopus are suitable for food: the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris), which lives in the Atlantic Ocean, and the giant octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini), which is caught in the North Pacific Ocean. The latter can reach a weight of 45 kg. Both varieties mentioned can be safely attributed to low-calorie seafood containing less than 100 calories per 1 serving (approximately 85 g).

common atlantic

Per serving: 70 calories, 13 g protein and 2 g carbohydrates, 0.9 g fat and 41 mg cholesterol. The water content is 80%, or 68 g. Does not contain sugar and fiber.

The composition of Atlantic octopus meat (as a percentage of the recommended daily intake):

• 54%, or 38 mg selenium,
• 25%, or 4.5 mg of iron,
• 19%, or 0.4 mg copper,
• 16%, or 158 mg of phosphorus,
• 9%, or 298 mg potassium,
• 9%, or 1.4 mg zinc,
• 9%, or 1.8 mg niacin.

As well as 196 mg sodium, 45 mg calcium, 26 mg magnesium and trace amounts of manganese. As for other vitamins, their contribution is at least 5% of the recommended amount.

giant pacific

Per serving: 48 calories, 10.5 g protein, 0.7 g fat and 2 mg cholesterol. Water content: 84% or 72 g. No carbohydrates.

The composition of the meat of the giant Pacific octopus:

• 23%, or 4.1 mg of iron,
• 16%, or 0.32 mg of copper,
• 13%, or 134 mg of phosphorus,
• 8% or 1.2 mg zinc
• 9%, or 1.7 mg niacin.

Pacific octopus also contains 30 mg of calcium and trace amounts of manganese.

As you can see, there is a lot of iron in this seafood: it participates in the formation of red blood cells, the development of brain structures, and normalizes body temperature. The lack of this trace element leads to weakness, fatigue and anemia.

Benefits of octopus meat

Octopuses owe their main beneficial properties to fatty acids. It is an almost ideal (except for the presence of a small amount of cholesterol) source of fatty acids, very effective in reducing the risk and treatment of cardiovascular disease, depression and cancer. They contribute to the expansion of intellectual capabilities and increase brain activity in children.

We are talking about omega-3 polyunsaturated acids, including short chain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), as well as long chain docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). The presence of these substances in the diet is a guarantee of the health of the heart and blood vessels. In one 100-gram serving of cooked octopus, you will find 152 mg of EPA and 162 mg of DHA.

Other healthy foods rich in fatty acids (according to the Linus Pauling Institute):

• ALA: flaxseed, walnuts, rapeseed and soybean oil;
• DHA and EPA: fatty fish and shellfish.

Another important antioxidant is the organic acid taurine. Its effectiveness has been proven in the treatment and prevention of serious eye diseases. Taurine also lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels, preventing atherosclerosis, and strengthens the heart muscle.

Prevents cancer

People who eat a lot of seafood, especially octopus meat, are less likely to develop certain types of cancer, including those of the mouth, stomach, rectum, breast, colon, prostate, pancreas, and lung. The secret is in a high concentration of essential fatty acids, which perform the function of antioxidants in the human body, and therefore reliably protect against oncology.

Reduces asthma symptoms

Scientists are sure that if you eat octopuses, you can reduce the risk of developing bronchial asthma or significantly reduce symptoms in those who already suffer from this serious disease.

It is important to understand that the described effect is possible only under strictly controlled conditions, when exposure to allergens (including food) from the environment is minimized. Presumably, the same fatty acids in the seafood composition have a beneficial effect.

Treats chronic bronchitis

Chronic bronchitis is a sign of severe inflammation in the body. In the presence of this disease, doctors recommend a special diet rich in fatty acids, including sea fish and other seafood. Introducing a small amount of octopus meat into the diet will help relieve symptoms and strengthen the body to successfully fight the disease.

From Alzheimer's disease

Another scientific study on the health benefits of octopus has shown that a diet with this seafood and a variety of marine fish can seriously reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. But here it is important to control the level of calorie intake with fats and not overeat. Otherwise, even healthy octopus meat can be harmful.

Selection and storage

Octopuses can be found commercially fresh or frozen (the most common), whole or single tentacles, raw or cooked. Before buying, check the packaging for an unpleasant odor.

Frozen octopuses in the original packaging are stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost as follows: transfer the octopus to a bowl, cover it with a wet paper towel and place in the refrigerator overnight.

To quickly thaw, place the octopus meat in a waterproof plastic bag under cold running water for about 30 minutes. A quick option (but not the most useful): Microwave defrost cycle (2-5 minutes).

Since octopus, like some other modern seafood, contains a small amount of mercury, the product cannot be recommended for pregnant and lactating women.

Octopuses are perhaps the most amazing among the molluscs that live in the depths of the sea. Their strange appearance surprises, delights, sometimes frightens, the imagination draws giant octopuses that can easily sink even large ships, this kind of demonization of the octopus was greatly facilitated by the work of many famous writers, for example, Victor Hugo described in his novel "Toilers of the Sea" octopus as "the absolute embodiment of evil." In reality, octopuses, of which there are more than 200 species in nature, are completely harmless creatures, and it is more likely that they should be afraid of us, people, and not vice versa.

The closest relatives of octopuses are squids and cuttlefish, they themselves belong to the genus of cephalopods, the family of octopuses proper.

Octopus: description, structure, characteristics. What does an octopus look like?

The appearance of an octopus is confusing, it is not immediately clear where its head is, where its mouth is, where its eyes and limbs are. But then everything becomes clear - the sac-shaped body of an octopus is called a mantle, which is fused with a large head, there are eyes on its upper surface. The eyes of an octopus are convex.

The mouth of an octopus is tiny and surrounded by chitinous jaws called a beak. The latter is necessary for the octopus to grind food, since they do not know how to swallow prey whole. He also has a special grater in his throat, she grinds pieces of food into gruel. Around the mouth are tentacles, which are the true calling card of the octopus. The tentacles of an octopus are long, muscular, their lower surface is dotted with suckers of various sizes that are responsible for taste (yes, the taste buds are on the octopus's suckers). How many tentacles does an octopus have? There are always eight of them, in fact, the name of this animal came from this number, since the word "octopus" means "eight legs" (well, that is, tentacles).

Also, twenty species of octopuses have special fins that serve as a kind of steering wheel when they move.

An interesting fact: octopuses are the most intelligent among mollusks, the octopus brain is surrounded by special cartilage, strikingly similar to the skull of vertebrates.

All the senses of octopuses are well developed, especially vision, the eyes of octopuses are very similar in structure to human eyes. Each of the eyes can see separately, but if the octopus needs to examine some object more closely, the eyes easily approach and focus on a given object, in other words, octopuses have the rudiments of binocular vision. And octopuses are able to pick up infrasound.

The structure of the internal organs of the octopus is unusually complex. For example, their circulatory system is closed, and the arterial vessels are almost connected to the venous ones. The octopus also has three hearts! One of them is the main one, and two small gills, whose task is to push blood to the main heart, otherwise it already directs the flow of blood throughout the body. Speaking of octopus blood, it's blue! Yes, all octopuses are real aristocrats! But seriously, the color of the blood of octopuses is due to the presence of a special pigment in it - geocyamine, which plays the same role in them that we have hemoglobin.

Another interesting organ possessed by the octopus is the siphon. The siphon leads to the mantle cavity, where the octopus draws water, and then, abruptly releasing it, creates a real jet that pushes its body forward. True, the octopus’s jet device is not as perfect as that of its squid relative (which became the prototype for creating a rocket), but it’s also up to par.

The sizes of octopuses differ from species, the largest of them has 3 meters in length and weighs about 50 kg. Most species of medium octopuses are from 0.2 to 1 meter in length.

As for the color of octopuses, they usually have red, brown, or yellow colors, but they can also easily change their color like that. Their color change mechanism is the same as that of reptiles - special chromatophore cells located on the skin can stretch and contract in a matter of seconds, simultaneously changing color and making the octopus invisible to potential predators, or expressing its emotions (for example, angry the octopus turns red, even turns black).

Where does the octopus live

The habitat of octopuses is almost all the seas and oceans, with the exception of the northern waters, although they sometimes penetrate there. But most often, octopuses live in warm seas, both in shallow water and at very great depths - some deep-sea octopuses can penetrate to depths of up to 5000 m. Many octopuses like to settle in coral reefs.

What do octopuses eat

Octopuses, however, like other cephalopods, are predatory creatures; their diet consists of a variety of small fish, as well as crabs and lobsters. They first capture their prey with tentacles and kill with poison, then they begin to absorb, since they cannot swallow whole pieces, then they first grind the food with their beak.

Octopus lifestyle

Octopuses are usually sedentary, sedentary, most of the time they hide among reefs and sea rocks, leaving their hiding place only to hunt. Octopuses live, as a rule, one by one and are very attached to their site.

How long do octopuses live

The life span of an octopus is on average 2-4 years.

Octopus Enemies

One of the most dangerous enemies of the octopus in recent times is a person, which is greatly facilitated by cooking, because many delicious and delicious dishes can be prepared from the octopus. But besides this, the octopus also has other natural enemies, various marine predators: sharks, sea lions, fur seals, killer whales are also not averse to eating octopus.

Is an octopus dangerous for humans?

It is only on the pages of books or in various science fiction films that octopuses are incredibly dangerous creatures that can not only easily kill people, but also destroy entire ships. In reality, they are quite harmless, even cowardly, at the slightest sign of danger, the octopus prefers to flee, no matter what happens. Although they usually swim slowly, in case of danger they turn on their jet engine, allowing the octopus to accelerate to a speed of 15 km per hour. They also actively use their ability of mimicry, merging with the surrounding space.

Only the largest species of octopuses can pose some danger to scuba divers, and then only during the breeding season. At the same time, of course, the octopus itself will never be the first to attack a person, but defending itself, it can sting him with his poison, which, although not fatal, will, of course, cause some unpleasant feelings (swelling, dizziness). The exception is the blue-ringed octopus, which lives off the coast of Australia, whose nerve poison is still fatal to humans, but since this octopus leads a secretive lifestyle, accidents with it are very rare.

Types of octopuses, photos and names

Of course, we will not describe all 200 species of octopuses, we will focus only on the most interesting of them.

As you probably guessed from the name, this is the largest octopus in the world. It can reach up to 3 meters in length and up to 50 kg of weight, but these are the largest individuals of this species, on average, a giant octopus has 30 kg, and 2-2.5 meters in length. It lives in the Pacific Ocean from Kamchatka and Japan to the western coast of the USA.

The most common and well-studied species of octopus, living in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, from England to the coast of Senegal. It is relatively small, its body length is 25 cm, and together with the tentacles 90 cm. The body weight is on average 10 cm. It is very popular in the cuisine of the peoples of the Mediterranean.

And this beautiful species of octopus, which lives off the coast of Australia, is also the most dangerous among them, since it is its poison that can cause cardiac arrest in humans. Another characteristic feature of this octopus is the presence of characteristic blue and black rings on the yellow skin. A person can be attacked only in defense, so in order to avoid trouble, you just need to stay away from him. And it is also the smallest octopus, the length of its body is 4-5 cm, tentacles - 10 cm, weight 100 grams.

Octopus breeding

And now let's look at how octopuses breed, this process is very interesting and unusual for them. Firstly, they reproduce only once in their lives, and this action has dramatic consequences for them. Before the mating season, one of the tentacles of the male octopus turns into a kind of sexual organ - hectocotylus. With its help, the male transfers his spermatozoa to the mantle cavity of the female octopus. After this act, the males, alas, die. Females with male germ cells continue to lead a normal life for several months, and only then lay eggs. There are a huge number of them in the masonry, up to 200 thousand pieces.

Then it lasts for several months until the young octopuses hatch, during this time the female becomes an exemplary mother, literally blowing dust particles from her future offspring. In the end, the female, exhausted from hunger, also dies. Young octopuses hatch from eggs completely ready for independent life.

• More recently, many people heard the famous octopus Paul, the octopus oracle, the octopus predictor, with amazing accuracy predicting the results of football matches at the European Championship in Germany in 2008. Two feeders with the flags of the opposing teams were placed in the aquarium where this octopus lived, and then the team from whose feeder the octopus Paul began his meal won the football match.
• Octopuses play a significant place in the erotic fantasies of people, and for quite a long time, so back in 1814, a certain Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai published an erotic engraving “The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife”, which depicts a naked woman in the company of two octopuses.
• It is quite possible that as a result of evolution, after millions of years, octopuses will develop into intelligent creatures similar to humans.

Octopus life video

And finally, an interesting documentary about octopuses from National Geographic.