Cleaning an octopus involves removing the internal organs, skin, and beak, leaving the tentacles and body for cooking.
Now, how to clean the octopi. I had NO CLUE. So I decided to photograph Victor cleaning them instead. 🙂 Yup, I don’t HAVE to do everything myself, it’s a huge plus of living with wonderful crew, for two of whom a birthday feast was being prepared, with octopode experiments as part of the menu. Take a small sharp knife and cut a slit in the bulbous octopus head…
In the 5+ years that I have maintained this blog, I don’t think I have come across this many baby octopodes at one vendor. I am not sure if baby octopi swim in schools somehow and these were caught in one net, or if they are collected from shallow waters from under rocks and corals. Marketman aside… I was so curious if eating these babies was evil, so I found this link which is ABSOLUTELY worth the read. I learned a LOT in 2 minutes. How to distinguish a male from a female. How the female holes up under rocks to lay with eggs and babies for months, and dies after it gives birth. That the average litter size of that species of octopus is 70,000(!) babies that are perfectly beautiful when born. And that out of all of those, only 2 will likely survive to adulthood, as some 69,998 of them will be munched on by fish, other sea critters and some by humans…
While browsing through a Mario Batali cookbook recently, I noticed two recipes for baby octopuses and I was intrigued by his suggestion that the inclusion of a cork in the boiling liquid was a sure-fire way to achieve tender octopodes. Fast forward 3 days later, and while cruising the seafood section of the Carbon market in Cebu, I came upon this bounty of baby octopi/octopuses/octopodes (yes, all three are correct). I was amused and smiled at the coincidence, so I decided to buy some…
Locate the brains, guts, ink sac of the octopuses and gently but firmly tug on it until the connective tissue/muscle gives or tears. Discard the muck. Rinse the octopi and either keep them whole, as we did, or sever them into pieces. Some recipes only call for using the tentacles, but I find it wasteful not to use the heads.
AT PHP90 a kilo, I thought these were a steal. And since I had never cooked them before, I decided to buy two kilos to experiment with. And the lady vendor was kind enough to pick through all the contents of her blue plastic pail to get all the smallest octopodes for me. I do have a couple of posts on “pre-teen” or maybe “single-digit” octopodes and octopode dishes, here and here.
How to clean a baby octopus
FAQ
Do baby octopus need to be cleaned?
How do you clean a small octopus before cooking?
Should you boil baby octopus before cooking?
How do you clean a baby octopus?
To clean baby octopus, start by removing the head by cutting just above the eyes. Then, turn the body inside out and remove the internal organs. Rinse the octopus under cold water to wash away any remaining debris. Finally, remove the beak from the center of the tentacles by cutting it out or squeezing it out.
How do you clean an octopus head?
Hold the octopus under cold running water. If the head is still attached, begin with it flipped inside out to make sure that any remaining entrails are washed away. Then turn the head back the right way around to rinse off the outside.
How to cook baby octopus?
Braising is another fantastic method that infuses the octopus with rich flavors. Follow these steps to braise baby octopus: Heat a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil, garlic, diced onions, and your choice of spices and herbs. Sauté until the onions are translucent and fragrant.
How do you Grill baby octopus?
Grilling baby octopus imparts a lovely smoky flavor and adds a slight char to the tentacles. Here’s how to do it: Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Lightly brush the octopus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the octopus for 2-3 minutes per side until the tentacles curl and turn golden brown.