How to Prepare Octopus

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Ngày cập nhật gần nhất: 15/4/2026

Content

Boiled Octopus Dish

Grilled Octopus Dish

Blanched Octopus Dish

Before You Begin: Preparing the Octopus

Boil the octopus

Grill the octopus

Blanch the octopus

Preparing the octopus

Boiled octopus dish

Grilled octopus dish

Blanched octopus dish

Octopus might seem intimidating at first, but contrary to its appearance, this delicious seafood is quite simple to prepare. The best method involves simmering it for a long time until the meat becomes tender, while quicker cooking methods often result in tough and chewy octopus. If you enjoy cooking octopus at home, here are some techniques you can try.

Ingredients

Boiled Octopus Dish

Serves 4 people

1.4kg of frozen octopus, thawed and cut into pieces
6 liters of water
1 onion, cut into wedges
1 carrot, diced into small cubes
1 stalk of leek
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
2 tablespoons of chopped thyme
2 teaspoons of black peppercorns

Grilled Octopus Dish

Serves 4 people

1.4kg of frozen octopus, thawed and cut into pieces
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
Half a lemon, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley

Blanched Octopus Dish

Serves 4 people

1.4kg of frozen octopus, thawed and left whole
1 cup of white wine vinegar
4 liters of water
8 black peppercorns
4 bay leaves
8 teaspoons of salt

Steps

Before You Begin: Preparing the Octopus

Thaw the octopus. Frozen octopus can be thawed by placing it in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Frozen octopus has an advantage over fresh octopus, as the freezing process helps tenderize the meat. If you choose fresh octopus, you should first tenderize it using a meat tenderizer.
However, before cooking, ensure the octopus is completely thawed.

Remove the tentacles from the body. Use a sharp kitchen knife to detach the tentacles from the octopus body.

However, note that some recipes require cooking the octopus whole before cutting it into smaller pieces. Make sure to read the recipe instructions carefully before proceeding.
Place the octopus on a cutting board, hold one tentacle, and cut it close to the body. Repeat the process for the remaining tentacles.
Using kitchen scissors can make this task easier compared to using a sharp knife.

Cut the body and head. Separate the head from the body and slice the head in half.

The hard part connecting the tentacles and the head is not pleasant to eat, so you can discard it. However, the head can be cooked along with the tentacles.

Remove the beak and ink sac if necessary. When handling frozen octopus, this step is often unnecessary as most frozen octopuses sold in stores are already cleaned.

Even with fresh octopus, you can ask the seller to clean it before packaging it for you.
When cutting the head or body in half, you may find the ink sac and internal organs. These can be removed, though it might be a bit challenging.
The beak might still be attached to the hard part you discard. If it remains in the body, gently squeeze to push it out and then cut it off.

Boil the octopus

Fill the pot with water and aromatic seasonings. Add water until it reaches about two-thirds of the pot's height. Then, include herbs and vegetables.

If available, you can use vegetable stock instead of plain water and seasonings. The herbs and vegetables in this recipe are primarily to enhance the octopus's flavor.
This recipe calls for onions, carrots, leeks, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, and peppercorns, but you can substitute with whatever seasonings you have on hand.

Place the pot on the stove. Bring the water to a vigorous boil over high heat. This process typically takes around 5 minutes.

Allowing the herbs and vegetables to simmer in the water before adding the octopus infuses the liquid with aromatic flavors, creating the foundation for a rich vegetable broth.

Add the octopus to the boiling water. Submerge the entire tentacles and body into the pot. The water will temporarily stop boiling after adding the octopus, so wait for it to return to a boil before proceeding.

This method works best when the tentacles and head are cut into manageable pieces. Avoid cutting them too small, as larger pieces are more visually appealing and practical for cooking.

Cover the pot and simmer until the meat is tender. This process usually takes between 20 to 45 minutes.

Test the octopus with a fork after 5 minutes. While it won’t be fully cooked, this helps you gauge its initial texture. Check again after 15 minutes to notice the gradual softening.
When done, the meat should easily slide off the fork when lifted from the water.

Remove the octopus and serve. Slice the boiled octopus into smaller pieces and enjoy it with rice or salad, though it can also be savored on its own.

If desired, strain and reserve the cooking liquid to use as a flavorful seafood broth.

Grill the octopus

Preheat the oven to 130°C. Prepare a large baking tray lined with aluminum foil.

Position the tray in the lower-middle section of the oven to ensure ample space for the octopus inside.
The entire grilling process takes place in the oven. While grilling on a rack adds extra flavor, this method is quick and won’t tenderize the octopus enough to be enjoyed on its own.

Place the octopus on the baking tray. Sprinkle some salt over it and cover it with aluminum foil.

Seal the octopus by gently folding the edges of the foil over the tray’s rim.

Roast until the octopus is tender. This will take about 2 hours. Let the octopus cool after roasting.

When pierced with a sharp knife or fork, the meat should feel very soft.
To speed up cooling, open the foil to allow air circulation.
You can also wrap the octopus and refrigerate it for up to 2 days, but discard any juices released during roasting.

Heat the grill. Brush 1 tablespoon of olive oil onto the grill and heat it for about 10 minutes on high.

For gas grills, set the burners to high and preheat for 10 minutes.
For charcoal grills, spread a thick layer of charcoal in the tray beneath the grill and light it until a white ash forms on the surface.

Coat the octopus with oil. After brushing olive oil over the octopus, sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.

The oil will give the exterior a glossy, crispy texture and help the seasoning penetrate the meat.

Place the octopus on the grill. Arrange the octopus pieces on the grill and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes or until they turn brown.

After placing the octopus on the grill, close the lid to ensure the cooking process is enclosed. Flip the pieces only once, ideally halfway through the cooking time.

Serve the octopus with olive oil, lemon juice, and parsley. Once grilled, you can enjoy the octopus immediately or slice it for use in other dishes. For a standalone dish, olive oil, lemon juice, and parsley will enhance its flavor.

Blanch the octopus

Boil water and vinegar. Combine both ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat.

While aromatic ingredients can be added before boiling, heating the water first ensures a faster boil and maintains a high temperature.

Add other seasonings. Cut a lemon in half, squeeze its juice into the pot, and drop both halves into the water. Then, add peppercorns, bay leaves, and salt.

Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes. This step infuses the water with flavor before adding the octopus.

Dip the octopus into boiling water. Use tongs to submerge the whole octopus into gently simmering water three times, holding it underwater for about 5 seconds each time.

Alternatively, you can wear rubber gloves and use your hands to hold the octopus while dipping.
This method works best for whole octopus. It’s not suitable for pre-cut pieces, as the goal is to curl the tentacles by quickly dipping them into hot water.

Blanch the octopus. Place the octopus in the water and increase the heat to medium-high until the water simmers gently. Blanch for 30 minutes or until the meat becomes tender.