Grilled Octopus and Spanish Tapas


 

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
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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.
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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.
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We now take a short break from the story for some gratuitous shots of sardines
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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
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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
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And a shot of our little monday meal
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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.
 
I've had octopus many years ago (i try <span class="ev_code_GREY">everything</span> once), do not remember how it was prepared or served butt i think i liked it alot.
Great looking photos jeff!
 
Never had grilled Octo,but in soups i know its a peice of gum. Looks great though! Killer pics. And i love the new ideas!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Never had grilled Octo,but in soups i know its a peice of gum. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

octopus is like the pork butt of the ocean. It's all collagen. If it's simply cooked to temp, it's very tough. But given enough time, it melts into something special. The octopus at the restaurant and this one almost had the texture of a scallop.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">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. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You never mind just keep them coming they are fantastic.
 
"our little Monday meal". For many, that's the meal of a lifetime. Just fantastic - makes me want to run out for some Octopus. And awesome photography, as always.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">"our little Monday meal". For many, that's the meal of a lifetime </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

that's the magic of sous vide. Some might think it's cheating, but it allows you to do things on a weekday that you wouldn't normally have time for. And the part of the meal that would require the most attention, now takes the least, freeing you up to focus on the rest of the plate. It's a weird feeling to not have to obsess about the protein.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Some might think it's cheating, but it allows you to do things on a weekday that you wouldn't normally have time for. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Never thought of it in those terms. You mean it might actually have a practical home use?
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Watching the food network, it seems as if some of the sous vide uses are a bit gratuitous and gimmicky. Nice to hear and see the practical/sensible side of it.
 
When I was in basic training, we had a couple of guys from Hawaii that got a care package from home with smoked octopus tentacles. Man, I still remember how good those things were!
 
that plated pic looks beautiful! i would definitely try it. i dont know how the texture is, but i know that i grew up eating fresh squid from the island.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">You mean it might actually have a practical home use? Wink Watching the food network, it seems as if some of the sous vide uses are a bit gratuitous and gimmicky. Nice to hear and see the practical/sensible side of it. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm not sure what you're watching, but if it's something like Iron Chef where they only have 60 min, then yeah, it's use doesn't really translate to the home. Unless, you come home, have only 60 min to pull off a 3 course dinner, the immersion circulator is already running at your desired temp, and you have some kind of thin, delicate fish that is best cooked to a precise temp. About the only thing I'd use sous vide for that takes less than a hour is an egg.

I was having a conversation with a women who was curious about sous vide. She explained that she and her husband had an empty nest and her recipe routine consisted of dishes that made too much to be reasonably consumed by the two of them and she started portioning them out, freezing and sharing with other empty nest friends. I told her, that's basically what I do with sous vide. I have a big tank, so when I run it, I have multiple bags going and the extras can be frozen and saved for later meals. Any compromise you feel you made by cheating, is easy to overlooked when you dig into perfectly moist and tender meat. Sous vide, is so easy, it's probably better suited to someone who is less interested in cooking than you or I. It's probably why the forum members here are hot and cold with the technique, most of us actually like spending a day to prepare a meal.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> i dont know how the texture is </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

slightly more chew than a scallop or lobster

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I've had enough. I'm byuing a dedicated sous vide machine! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

not sure what your options are with European power
 

 

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