Sous Vide Spanish Grilled Octopus Salad with Orange and Bell Pepper
By America's Test KitchenPublished on January 19, 2021
Time
Sous vide: 5 hours; active cooking time: 1 hour
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Sous Vide Temperature
175°F/79.5°C
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Be sure to rinse the defrosted octopus well, as sand can collect in the suckers. The octopus's membrane-like skin is easiest to peel while still warm, so be sure to do so as soon as it's cool enough to handle. You can thaw frozen octopus in a large container under cold running water; it will thaw in about 2 hours. Be sure to double-bag the octopus to protect against seam failure. Note that this recipe requires a 12-quart container. For more about sous vide cooking, refer to our sous vide guide.
Instructions
- Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 175°F/79.5°C in 12-quart container.
- Using sharp knife, separate octopus body (lower section with tentacles) from upper section (head, eyes, and mantle, or large upper sac); discard upper section. Cut body in half through core, leaving two pieces with four tentacles each. Transfer each piece to separate 1-gallon zipper-lock bag freezer bag. Add 2 tablespoons oil, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, and 2 bay leaves to each bag and gently toss to coat. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible. Place each bag in second 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and seal. Gently lower bags into prepared water bath until octopus is fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook octopus for 5 hours.
- Transfer octopus to cutting board and let cool slightly; discard cooking liquid. Using fingers or paring knife, scrape skin from tentacles, being careful not to remove suction cups. Cut tentacles from around core of body; discard core.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes. When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
- Clean cooking grate, then repeatedly brush grate with well-oiled paper towels until black and glossy, 5 to 10 times. Brush tentacles with 1 tablespoon oil. Place octopus on grill (directly over coals if using charcoal). Cook (covered if using gas) until octopus is streaked with dark grill marks and lightly charred at tips of tentacles, 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway through grilling; transfer to cutting board.
- Whisk remaining 6 tablespoons oil, remaining 2 teaspoons paprika, lemon zest and juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in large bowl. While octopus is still warm, slice ¼ inch thick on bias, then transfer to bowl with oil-lemon mixture and toss to coat.
- Cut away peel and pith from orange. Holding fruit over bowl with octopus, use paring knife to slice between membranes to release segments. Add celery, bell pepper, olives, and parsley and gently toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.TO MAKE AHEAD: Octopus can be rapidly chilled in ice bath and then refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Time
Sous vide: 5 hours; active cooking time: 1 hourYield
Serves 4 to 6Sous Vide Temperature
175°F/79.5°CIngredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Octopus can be tricky to cook well. It has tough connective tissue that needs to be broken down into succulent gelatin, and it often skirts the thin lines between tender, chewy, and straight-up mushy. As a result, many (often dubious) tenderizing techniques have circulated (pun intended) within the octopus recipe world. But as it turns out, a great—and reliable—way to turn this cephalopod's connective tissue into gelatin is extended low-heat cooking. Enter sous vide. Cooking low-and-slow for 5 hours gave us perfectly tender octopus. After its bath, we gave it a quick char on a superhot grill, sliced it, and paired it with a Spanish-inspired vinaigrette. We added refreshing celery, bell pepper, orange segments, briny olives, and parsley to the mix for a bright and bold salad. Octopus can be found cleaned and frozen in the seafood section of specialty grocery stores and Asian markets. We recommend using octopus from either Spain or Portugal.
Before You Begin
Be sure to rinse the defrosted octopus well, as sand can collect in the suckers. The octopus's membrane-like skin is easiest to peel while still warm, so be sure to do so as soon as it's cool enough to handle. You can thaw frozen octopus in a large container under cold running water; it will thaw in about 2 hours. Be sure to double-bag the octopus to protect against seam failure. Note that this recipe requires a 12-quart container. For more about sous vide cooking, refer to our sous vide guide.
Instructions
- Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 175°F/79.5°C in 12-quart container.
- Using sharp knife, separate octopus body (lower section with tentacles) from upper section (head, eyes, and mantle, or large upper sac); discard upper section. Cut body in half through core, leaving two pieces with four tentacles each. Transfer each piece to separate 1-gallon zipper-lock bag freezer bag. Add 2 tablespoons oil, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, and 2 bay leaves to each bag and gently toss to coat. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible. Place each bag in second 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and seal. Gently lower bags into prepared water bath until octopus is fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook octopus for 5 hours.
- Transfer octopus to cutting board and let cool slightly; discard cooking liquid. Using fingers or paring knife, scrape skin from tentacles, being careful not to remove suction cups. Cut tentacles from around core of body; discard core.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes. When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
- Clean cooking grate, then repeatedly brush grate with well-oiled paper towels until black and glossy, 5 to 10 times. Brush tentacles with 1 tablespoon oil. Place octopus on grill (directly over coals if using charcoal). Cook (covered if using gas) until octopus is streaked with dark grill marks and lightly charred at tips of tentacles, 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway through grilling; transfer to cutting board.
- Whisk remaining 6 tablespoons oil, remaining 2 teaspoons paprika, lemon zest and juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in large bowl. While octopus is still warm, slice ¼ inch thick on bias, then transfer to bowl with oil-lemon mixture and toss to coat.
- Cut away peel and pith from orange. Holding fruit over bowl with octopus, use paring knife to slice between membranes to release segments. Add celery, bell pepper, olives, and parsley and gently toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.TO MAKE AHEAD: Octopus can be rapidly chilled in ice bath and then refrigerated for up to 3 days.
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