Sous Vide Octopus
Frank Scholz, also known as Chef de Cambuse, is an #anovafoodnerd who loves to cook, eat and have a good glass of wine. He spends most of his time ashore, but every so often aboard a sailboat or motorboat.
Octopus is often a chewy dish, but with sous vide, it's easy to enjoy a tender result hassle-free. It's an excellent dish and looks beautiful, which is why it's great for dinner parties and special occasions. I've been trying different flavors for octopus the last few times I've cooked it–all using sous vide. I marinated the octopus with red cabbage for a holiday dinner, then did the same for a dinner party with great success. For Valentine's Day, I cooked octopus for my wife using beetroot to marinate. I've include both options in this recipe, but it's not a required step.
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Pro-level cooking techniques made simple.
Ingredients for 2
1 whole octopus
80 ml olive oil
2 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
Pinch of sea salt
--OPTIONAL--
600g red cabbage or beetroot, juiced or blended smooth
Directions
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Step 1
Remove the entrails, eyes and beak of the octopus and clean. If you don’t plan to brine in cabbage or beet juice, skip ahead to step 3.
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Step 2
Pat the octopus dry and put it together with the red cabbage juice/smoothie in an airtight container. Coat the octopus well, making sure every part of the octopus is covered, then store the octopus for 24hr in the fridge. Remove from the fridge after 24hr and proceed to step 3.
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Step 3
Heat your Precision Cooker to 167ºF/75ºC.
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Step 4
Wash the octopus under cold, running water. If you marinated it overnight, make sure any remaining particles are rinsed off. Pat the octopus dry and place in double-bagged resealable zipper locking bags with olive oil, thyme, rosemary and sea salt.
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Step 5
Seal the bag using the water immersion technique and place it in the water bath for 8hr. For a longer holding time remove it from the bag, seal it again with some olive oil and keep it warm.
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Finishing Steps
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Step 0
Remove the octopus from the bag and discard the liquid. Gently rub off any loose skin parts, being careful not to tear off the suckers. Separate the tentacles and carefully pat each of them dry.
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Step 1
Heat a skillet with oil and sear for a few seconds to create a crispy outer layer.
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Step 2
Serve the dish and enjoy the "Ooh's" and "Ahh's" from everyone at the table.