Sous Vide Octopus Is A Really Wonderful Dish

When you cook octopus sous vide you will be able to infuse the flesh with other flavors and produce a wonderfully tender dish. It has a very distinct flavor but if octopus is not cooked correctly it can be really chewy.

Octopus Tentacles Or Baby Octopus?

If you are looking for an easy to prepare meal that does not require a lot of work, then octopus tentacles or baby octopus sous vide is a good choice. These can be difficult to find in conventional stores, so you may have to look in Asian stores to find these. It is really worth the trouble.

For a truly delicious result it is best to use green almonds as a garnish. These are almonds that have not fully developed and still in their shells. They can be a little tart, but they will always have that almond flavor that is sweet.

Equipment

• Sous Vide Machine – our favorite right now is the Anova or the Joule.
• Container – not necessary, but nice to have for bigger cuts of meat. We recommend the Lipavi as it is large and sturdy. You can also use a pot.
• Vacuum sealer and bags, or a freezer Ziploc bag. If you only have a Ziploc make sure to check our our article on the water displacement method. You can find our favorite vacuum sealers here – 5 Best Sous Vide Vacuum Sealers (Reviews Updated 2021)

Best Sous Vide Octopus Recipe

You will need the following ingredients to cook a meal for four people

Ingredients

• One pound or 500g of octopus tentacles (go for the smaller ones that are less than one inch in diameter) OR one pound or 500g of baby octopus
• Olive oil (extra virgin)
• 1/4 tsp Freshly ground pepper
• 1 pinch Kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp Nicoise olives thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp Lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp Parsley (minced)
• Lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp Rosemary
• 1/4 tsp Thyme
• 1/4 tsp Coriander
• 1/4 tsp Cumin
• 1/4 tsp Bay leaves
• 1/4 tsp Chili Powder
• 1/4 tsp Green almonds

Sous Vide Octopus Cooking Times, Temperature, and Preparation

• Clean the octopus if it has not been already cleaned. To clean the tentacles, cover them with salt in a bowl and then scrub liberally. If there is any slime on the tentacles this will remove it. Make sure that you rinse the tentacles thoroughly afterwards. Remove any of the webbed skin by cutting it away. Most of the time baby octopus will be already cleaned, but if not clean this thoroughly and rinse.
• You will need to put the octopus in some olive oil, add some salt and pepper, and then whisk this all together. Chill this for a while before you start to cook. You can now prepare the seasoning for the cooking bags. For this it is recommended to use rosemary and thyme together with coriander, cumin, bay leaves and chili.
• Use a sous vide bag for safe cooking and place portions of octopus and some herbs in the bag. Vacuum seal the bag in preparation for cooking. Heat the water temperature in your best sous vide machine to 180°F (83°C) and cook for around 4-5 hours.
• After the cooking time has elapsed, you will need to remove the cooking bags from the water bath and take out the octopus. Use olive oil to brush the tentacles or baby octopus, and then add salt and pepper to season.
• Prepare a skillet on high heat and cook the octopus for around 5 minutes, or until the edges are crispy enough for your taste. You can make vinaigrette using the parsley, olives, lemon juice and zest and the extra virgin olive oil. This can be drizzled onto the octopus prior to serving.

Enjoy!