lovey
New Member
Posts: 27 
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Post by lovey on Jun 4, 2015 13:57:50 GMT 10
G'day all,
I am after a bit of help in relation to a batch of char grilled baby octopus I did on the weekend. It didn't turn out like it should have, having almost zero char on it.
The original recipe called for boiling the octopus for a few minutes then marinating for 2-4 hours in a mixture of lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. I made a change and omitted the boiling part and marinated the octopus overnight instead.
I skewered the octopus and put them on the weber grill over a charcoal fire. I had a nice hot charcoal fire going and the flames were almost touching the tentacles, but still no decent char marks.
Any ideas on how to rectify this?
My initial thoughts are that the octopus was too wet to get good char, with it still being wet from the marinade. Is there a trick to drying out the octopus before I char it?
Or did I marinade it for too long which did something funky to the octopus?
Thanks for looking,
Steve.
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Post by chrisg on Jun 4, 2015 14:34:03 GMT 10
Hey Steve,
You have to do that initial boil if you want them to char properly, made the mistake myself years ago.
I know it seems trivial but it really is an important step.
Cheers
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lovey
New Member
Posts: 27
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Post by lovey on Jun 4, 2015 15:07:45 GMT 10
Thanks Chris,
I've got another bag (frozen) of them so I'll make sure I follow the recipe next time I do them.
Thanks again,
Steve.
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Post by chrisg on Jun 4, 2015 16:02:50 GMT 10
 It's a bit odd actually, I think if you are just going to brown them in a frypan which some people do then it's not necessary to boil them but if grilling it is and I'm not sure why. I was shown how to do them proper Greek style by a guy on one of islands who really just blanched them in rolling boiling water but when I asked him about why I just received a shrug and was told it was important Either way it works, sort of part cooks them I guess. Cheers |
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Post by smokey on Jun 4, 2015 16:27:32 GMT 10
Your occys suffered from what's natrualy in them, Water.
I fall for it all the time being lazy.
Boiling them actualy removes internal water and therefore will grill and brown up.
The Greeks dry out the octopus for a day in the sun prior to any cooking. Baby octopus are no different.
An easy way to braise and infuse flavour at the same time is to simmer them in a fry pan with a stock, garlick, ginger and so forth. Take them out to air dry in the fridge for an hour or so then grill coated in oil.
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lovey
New Member
Posts: 27
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Post by lovey on Jun 4, 2015 20:25:34 GMT 10
Aahh, the boiling part makes sense now in reducing the internal moisture level. I was contemplating cooking them on a pizza tray over the coals, but I was worried that I was going stew them.
I'll definitely let them air dry in the fridge before I put the heat to them. I'll take a few snaps this time, I was too embarrassed to take any of the last effort.
Thanks again chaps.
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Post by gatsby on Jun 5, 2015 5:43:23 GMT 10
Can you put up the recipe?
I've been wanting to do a BBQ octopus for a while but been unsure of the process.
The tips make sense, the only time I tried it all a got was a chewy horrid mess which put me off ever doing again.
I get a desire for seafood now and then and normally look at the octopus, say hmmm nope not again and move on.....
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lovey
New Member
Posts: 27
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Post by lovey on Jun 5, 2015 8:08:30 GMT 10
Certainly.
Tender Grilled Baby Octopus
• 2 pounds baby octopus
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 10 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
Dressing:
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions:
If the octopus is frozen, defrost completely.
If the octopi still have their heads, you can either cut the heads off and discard them or keep the head on. If you choose to keep the head on, however, make sure it’s cleaned out. If it’s not, then you can approach the task two ways:
1. Make a shallow cut along the head, being careful not to cut too deep and puncture the innards. Carefully but firmly pull out everything inside.
2. Cut the head off, turn it inside out and use a knife to scrape away the innards.
In both cases, if a small black, triangular beak does not come out along with everything else, then push your finger up through the middle of the body and the beak should pop out. Rinse the octopi and set aside.
To make the marinade, whisk together the 1/2 cup of olive oil, plus lemon juice, garlic, thyme, salt and black pepper. Set aside.
In a large pot over high heat, bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Turn the heat off and dump the octopuses into the pot.
Let sit for 1 minute then drain immediately. Rinse with cold water.
Combine the octopus and the marinade, either in a large bowl or sealed plastic bag. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but ideally 4.
Soak 4 wooden skewers in water. Heat the grill to high.
While the grill is heating, make the dressing by whisking together the rosemary, lemon juice, lemon zest and remaining olive oil.
Skewer each octopus, putting 3 to 5 on each skewer (if you have heads that are separate from the body, skewer them too). Grill over high heat, letting the flames char the outside, but turn the skewers a few times so the octopus doesn’t burn. A total of around 6 minutes on the grill is usually about right.
Remove from the grill; drizzle with rosemary dressing. The octopus can remain whole, or you can slice it thinly. Grilled baby octopus can be served hot off the grill, or you can chill it and serve cold with extra lemon wedges on the side.
It's very tasty, even without the char marks.
Enjoy,
Steve.
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Post by ozymandias on Jun 6, 2015 14:28:16 GMT 10
Octopus contains literally buckets of water and unless you preboil them or dry them in the sun as they do in the islands you end up with a faliure.
When we make octopus and onion stew in greece, the octopus goes into a pot initially with zero water and allowed to simmer till all the water evaporates before adding the tomatoes, onions, spices etc. It always produces cups and cups of water
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Post by smokey on Jun 6, 2015 14:55:39 GMT 10
I think a good lesson for all of us, Looking forward to see if this knowledge works for those who give it a go.
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osdave
Junior Member
Posts: 80
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Post by osdave on Jun 7, 2015 19:22:39 GMT 10
If the octopi still have their heads, you can either cut the heads off and discard them or keep the head on. If you choose to keep the head on, however, make sure it’s cleaned out. If it’s not, then you can approach the task two ways: 1. Make a shallow cut along the head, being careful not to cut too deep and puncture the innards. Carefully but firmly pull out everything inside. Try doing this step with a good pair of scissors. When you're doing a heap of the baby ones it's so much quicker dave |
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