Guest guest Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 [Deanna] Hi. I bought frozen tentacles from that oriental market. I have never prepared raw octopus. So, can I just slice and serve or is there some other preparation required? [MAP] Yeah, slice and serve is good, but I've found it's a little hit-and-miss as far as having a good texture when they're raw; sometimes they're a little rubbery, but other times a few enjoyable chews does the trick. Slices are great for making it manageable though. There is always the option of steaming for about 30 seconds, which generally results in a dramatically better flavor and texture. These cephalopods behave much like egg whites, maybe because they're 3/4 protein and the proteins get rearranged. Mike SE Pennsylvania The best way to predict the future is to invent it. --Alan Kay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 > [Deanna] Hi. I bought frozen tentacles from that oriental market. I > have never > prepared raw octopus. So, can I just slice and serve or is there some > other preparation required? tako wasabi is also nice. the version i had was cut into little peanut-sized pieces with a really strong wasabi sauce. i've only had the nigiri style with the octopus, as MAP said, steamed or boiled before slicing. large pieces of raw octopus sashimi seem risky texture-wise, especially if the quality is dubious...? eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 & , >[MAP] Yeah, slice and serve is good, but I've found it's a little >hit-and-miss as far as having a good texture when they're raw; >sometimes they're a little rubbery, but other times a few enjoyable >chews does the trick. Slices are great for making it manageable >though. There is always the option of steaming for about 30 seconds, >which generally results in a dramatically better flavor and texture. >These cephalopods behave much like egg whites, maybe because they're >3/4 protein and the proteins get rearranged. > >[eric] tako wasabi is also nice. the version i had was cut into little >peanut-sized pieces with a really strong wasabi sauce. > >i've only had the nigiri style with the octopus, as MAP said, steamed >or boiled before slicing. large pieces of raw octopus sashimi seem >risky texture-wise, especially if the quality is dubious...? > Thanks so much for the quick ideas. We had quite enough with tuna rolls, and I hadn't the bravery in me, so I packed them on ice in the frig. I plan to do some nice miso bone broth soup deluxe in the morning, so I will slice and add at the last minute to that. I have 6 left frozen for later, so I will try out that tako wasabi for sure. I couldn't vouch for quality yet, but the frozen tuna was just like good quality fresh tuna, very tender without any fishiness. Hopefully the octopus will be the same experience. I'll let you both know. Deanna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2005 Report Share Posted January 1, 2005 At 11:37 AM 1/1/05 -0600, you wrote: >The soup was great. The octopus added texture, but not much flavor. >The good news is that my two wimpy eaters ate it without fuss. I ate >some of it raw and it was actually nicely flavorful and less chewy than >cooked. What does that mean? I assume it was good quality. > >Deanna The only thing I ever heard about octopus (or squid for that matter) was that cooking it is an art - to *keep* it from getting all excessively chewy. So I'd say if it's good raw, stick with it. MFJ Once, poets were magicians. Poets were strong, stronger than warriors or kings - stronger than old hapless gods. And they will be strong once again. ~Greg Bear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2005 Report Share Posted January 1, 2005 >I plan to do some nice miso bone broth soup deluxe in the >morning, so I will slice and add at the last minute to that. I have 6 >left frozen for later, so I will try out that tako wasabi for sure. I >couldn't vouch for quality yet, but the frozen tuna was just like good >quality fresh tuna, very tender without any fishiness. Hopefully the >octopus will be the same experience. I'll let you both know. > >Deanna > The soup was great. The octopus added texture, but not much flavor. The good news is that my two wimpy eaters ate it without fuss. I ate some of it raw and it was actually nicely flavorful and less chewy than cooked. What does that mean? I assume it was good quality. Deanna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2005 Report Share Posted January 1, 2005 >The only thing I ever heard about octopus (or squid for that matter) was >that cooking it is an art - to *keep* it from getting all excessively >chewy. So I'd say if it's good raw, stick with it. > > > >MFJ >Once, poets were magicians. Poets were strong, stronger than warriors or >kings - stronger than old hapless gods. And they will be strong once >again. ~Greg Bear > Hi , I wonder if I could ferment octopus? That would tenderize it, eh? It might be too mushy though. BTW, I would love to be that friend you call to go have sushi. Maybe someday when we are in the same neck of the woods. ~ Deanna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2005 Report Share Posted January 1, 2005 At 07:10 PM 1/1/05 -0600, you wrote: >Hi , > >I wonder if I could ferment octopus? That would tenderize it, eh? It >might be too mushy though. I think that was part of the art form. Marinating/tenderizing. Never talked to anyone about fermenting, but it's worth a shot, I guess. The art form is mush/chew ... mush/chew ... mush/chew. I don't think there's any such thing as a foolproof " recipe " ... See? There's your next challenge. Let us know how it all works out. LOL. MFJ Once, poets were magicians. Poets were strong, stronger than warriors or kings - stronger than old hapless gods. And they will be strong once again. ~Greg Bear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2005 Report Share Posted January 1, 2005 >The soup was great. The octopus added texture, but not much flavor. >The good news is that my two wimpy eaters ate it without fuss. I ate >some of it raw and it was actually nicely flavorful and less chewy than >cooked. What does that mean? I assume it was good quality. > >Deanna Octopus is always chewy, and gets more so the more you cook it. Fermenting should be less chewy ... quickly deep fried it's pretty tender too. I wonder if it could be pounded into little patties and breaded and fried? Like abalone? Heidi Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 >tako wasabi is also nice. the version i had was cut into little >peanut-sized pieces with a really strong wasabi sauce. > & Heidi & Anyone else, Would you happen to have a tako wasabi recipe? I am assuming the tako is raw for this. I am planning to deep fry some of the octopus as well for the guys. I'll let you know how it all turns out. I have been marinating the slices in dill pickle juice and water; pickles I fermented myself, btw. Thanks for any help with whether or not to cook and good sauce ingredients. I will go with wasabi, shoyu and ginger if I don't hear back. ~ Deanna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 12:47:35 -0600, Deanna <hl@...> wrote: > > > >tako wasabi is also nice. the version i had was cut into little > >peanut-sized pieces with a really strong wasabi sauce. > > > & Heidi & Anyone else, > > Would you happen to have a tako wasabi recipe? I am assuming the tako > is raw for this. I am planning to deep fry some of the octopus as well > for the guys. I'll let you know how it all turns out. I have been > marinating the slices in dill pickle juice and water; pickles I > fermented myself, btw. no, and i've had a really hard time finding one too. it's possible that it was just raw octopus mixed with wasabi and shoyu. that's what it tasted like. i think it's pretty standard izakaya fare to be eaten as a snack with drinks. eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 >no, and i've had a really hard time finding one too. it's possible >that it was just raw octopus mixed with wasabi and shoyu. that's what >it tasted like. i think it's pretty standard izakaya fare to be eaten >as a snack with drinks. > >eric > Thanks , I looked too and only found this recipe with tako as an option. I think I'll go with your suggestion. Deanna http://www.biglove.lvhr.com/recipes/japanese/japan09.html Sunomomo Dressing for Japanese Pickles Ingredients: * 2 tbs to 4 tb sugar * 1/2 cup rice vinegar * 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice * 1 tsp salt * 1 tsp freshly grated ginger * 1/4 tsp wasabi, powdered horseradish dissolved in 1 tsp water Instructions: Place cucumber slices on paper towels to drain excess liquid. Wrap in paper towels and refrigerate until serving time. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl, adding sugar to taste. Stir until sugar and wasabi are dissolved. At serving time, place cucumbers in a bowl, pour on dressing and toss. VARIATION: Try adding 1/4 pound (or more) thinly sliced octopus, kyuri tako no sunomono. Yield: 6 servings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 >Would you happen to have a tako wasabi recipe? I am assuming the tako >is raw for this. I am planning to deep fry some of the octopus as well >for the guys. I'll let you know how it all turns out. I have been >marinating the slices in dill pickle juice and water; pickles I >fermented myself, btw. Not me, never had it! I found this one with SOME wasabi in the dressing: http://recipes.chef2chef.net/recipe-archive/48/259138.shtml Heidi Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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