j biesinger
TVWBB Platinum Member
I had an octopus dish at a place called Salt of the Earth in Pittsburgh that was a revelation. I never had octopus that had such an incredible flavor and texture. I knew a little bit about the place and assumed the octopus had to have been cooked sous vide. I did some research and it seemed like sv octopus was possible and I found a recipe in Thomas Keller's cookbook Under Pressure. The recipe had a Spanish bent, so we served it as a first course to a nice, simple, Monday night, family tapas dinner
The octopus was intact, but gutted. I took off the tentacles and removed the webbing between them. Octopi are really beautiful creatures and I was suffering pangs of guilt as I broke it down, which confused me considering how many countless mammals and birds I've dismembered without remorse.
The tentacles and mantle were packed in a vac bag with evoo, salt, pepper, and a "bouquet garni" of fresh bay, thyme, rosemary, dried chile, cumin and coriander seed (which was wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent direct contact with the octopus during cooking). The pack was cooked at 170* for 5 hours. After that, it was briefly grilled along with some chorizo.
We now take a short break from the story for some gratuitous shots of sardines
Along with the grilled octopus and chorizo, the recipe calls for a salsa verde (fresh basil, tarragon, parsley, cilantro, and capers), some boiled fingerling potatoes (bay, rosemary, thyme), and marcona almonds
As you can imagine, it was perfect. And considering I never cooked octopus before yet nailed it, I'd chalk this up as another great use of sous vide. This ranks up there with the Momofuku 48 hr short rib as my all time favorite sv applications.
A little shot of the completed vinegared sardines
And a shot of our little monday meal
At about 3:00 on the plate is sherried pork (money muscle), which is another of my favorite sv applications. It was cooked at 175* for 12 hours and frozen. After thawing, I roast it until brown and glaze it. It's hard to beat having some of the most succulent pork ever, on a weekday in under 30 min.
I know I promised I'd limit my sous vide threads, but I don't think I ever saw grilled octopus around here, so I figured I'd share.
The octopus was intact, but gutted. I took off the tentacles and removed the webbing between them. Octopi are really beautiful creatures and I was suffering pangs of guilt as I broke it down, which confused me considering how many countless mammals and birds I've dismembered without remorse.
The tentacles and mantle were packed in a vac bag with evoo, salt, pepper, and a "bouquet garni" of fresh bay, thyme, rosemary, dried chile, cumin and coriander seed (which was wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent direct contact with the octopus during cooking). The pack was cooked at 170* for 5 hours. After that, it was briefly grilled along with some chorizo.
We now take a short break from the story for some gratuitous shots of sardines
Along with the grilled octopus and chorizo, the recipe calls for a salsa verde (fresh basil, tarragon, parsley, cilantro, and capers), some boiled fingerling potatoes (bay, rosemary, thyme), and marcona almonds
As you can imagine, it was perfect. And considering I never cooked octopus before yet nailed it, I'd chalk this up as another great use of sous vide. This ranks up there with the Momofuku 48 hr short rib as my all time favorite sv applications.
A little shot of the completed vinegared sardines
And a shot of our little monday meal
At about 3:00 on the plate is sherried pork (money muscle), which is another of my favorite sv applications. It was cooked at 175* for 12 hours and frozen. After thawing, I roast it until brown and glaze it. It's hard to beat having some of the most succulent pork ever, on a weekday in under 30 min.
I know I promised I'd limit my sous vide threads, but I don't think I ever saw grilled octopus around here, so I figured I'd share.
