So we had a great weekend just gone.  My in-laws have planned an awesome Eastern European trip and we caught up with them to have some quality family time and a seafood feast.

 

Before Troy and I had kids, we used to play a game we liked to call “Iron Chef.” This involved Troy picking a “secret ingredient” and then I’d have a crack at making something awesome out of it with whatever I had in the pantry and fridge at home.  We haven’t done it for ages!  Anyway, Troy and his dad headed off to the Fish Factory up the road to get our prawns and oysters for brunch, and quite spontaneously came home with a whole octopus.  For the record, Gwennie at 9 raw oysters all by herself (I know… at least she won’t be zinc deficient!)!

Anyhoo, I have never cooked an octopus before and I must admit, it was pretty slimy and a little grotesque… although in the coolest, possible way!

So I had to do a bit of reading into how to prep this monstrosity of a thing.  Seemed that a lot of people had trouble cooking it in a way that didn’t result in an inedible, rubbery mess.  In the end, I read a post where they suggested boiling it for 30-90 min to remove the excess liquid in the flesh (reportedly what makes it rubbery) then grilling it over hot coals.

Now, I didn’t have hot coals (or the patience to source any) so I decided a hot wok would do just fine.

 

So I boiled it in salty water for 30 minutes, and then chopped it up.  Tossed it in olive oil, salt and pepper and fried it in a hot wok for 5 min,

 

…and served it up with some garlic and oregano (I usually use thyme, but had none yesterday) cous cous, and some spiced charred cauliflower florets.

It was actually pretty good!  The tentacles were really tender and delicious, the body was a little more chewy, but not too bad.  I think if I had another go, I’d boil it for a little longer (maybe 45-60 min) before frying it, and slice the body into thinner strips. Oh, and I think it would have tasted WAY nicer on coals – to impart a smoky BBQ flavour, but I didn’t have that option unfortunately.

 

Garlic and thyme cous cous

1.5 cups of cous cous

1.5 cups of chicken stock

3 cloves of garlic crushed and fried in a tsp of oil until aromatic

1/3 cup of oregano or thyme – added to the garlic at last minute and fried lightly

1.5 tab of butter

 

Add the garlic, butter and herbs to the dry cous cous.  Boil the stock and add it quickly to the cous cous, stirring to combine with a fork and then covering and allowing to sit and absorb for 5-10 min.

 

Spiced, charred cauliflower

Half a head of cauliflower cut into florets

1 tab of oil

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cardamon

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

a pinch of salt

 

Heat the oil in a pan until hot.  Throw in the cauliflower florets and toss till coated in oil.  Add a shake of each of the spices (until the florets look “dirty”), the salt and pepper and toss until starting to char slightly in places.  Serve hot as a delicious side!

 

Let me know how you go if you decide to try it!

Until next time – happy cooking!!

 

xxmegs