Raw octopus doesn't have a fishy taste, but its flavor has the feel of the sea. It's sweet and salty at the same time, with a mildly nutty flavor. It keeps the smooth, slimy and rubbery texture.
Everyone seems to ask me what octopus tastes like. The best way I can describe it is this way: Live octopus is chewy and tastes mildly like un-fried calamari. They seasoned it with sesame seeds and something else, and they served it with this DELICIOUS butter and lemon sauce in dish.
Octopus contains a lot of moisture, some of which can be removed by brining or sun-drying to make the flesh more tender before grilling, barbecuing or pan-frying. Without removing some of the moisture from the flesh, the octopus will take on a chewy and rubbery texture.
Octopus can be eaten raw (alive, even, assuming you don't find that inherently cruel), and it can also be prepared using quick-cooking methods like sautéing, though it's riskier to do that than with, say, squid, a related animal that starts out much more tender. Anatomically, an octopus is intimidating.
When raw, octopus tastes faintly like the sea. It is not fishy; instead, it has a slightly salty and sweet flavor. But this flavor is so mild that some people will say that an octopus does not have its own flavor. For this reason, it is common for people to use dips and sauces to make the raw octopus tastier.
There's a popular Korean dish that involves raw octopus so fresh it's actually alive, or so the name “live octopus” would suggest. If you order it, you'll be met with chopped baby octopus tentacles still wriggling on the plate, served with minimal accompaniments like slivers of garlic and a dish of soy sauce.
Sashimi Is Not Always In The Form Of Fish.
The thing that all forms of sashimi have in common is that they are thinly sliced and served raw. Octopus is a common type of sashimi that you will see on a sushi menu. It is usually slightly cooked so that it is still tender but not rubbery.
Some say the taste is better when fresh and that cooking octopus ruins the flavor. Others claim that eating raw octopus is a traditional way to consume seafood. Whatever the reason, if you decide to try eating raw octopus, be sure to do so with caution.
Cook until octopus is tender enough that you can pierce the thick part of a tentacle with a paring knife with little resistance, about 1 hour; keep in mind that this time is a rough estimate, and the octopus may be done sooner or it may take longer, but it will get there. Let octopus cool in the cooking water.
Many people think calamari dishes are made from octopus, when in fact calamari is actually made from a type of squid. This confusion could be due to similar tastes when the octopus is prepared.
Since the body finds it hard to digest them, they may move through the intestines without being broken down and cause diarrhoea or bloating. According to one veterinarian, chasing an octopus on land is like "chasing a cat.".
The simplest way to enjoy our fully cooked octopus is to briefly marinate the pieces in olive oil, lemon, a little garlic, rosemary, thyme, or the fresh herbs of your choice. After just 30 minutes the octopus will take on the flavor and can be served as is with olives, feta cheese, sliced onions, or on a bed of greens.
An octopus's body is mostly soft (that's how they squeeze itself through rock crevices) and is covered in mucus, which may give it a slimy feel! But, don't confuse soft and squishy with weak. On the contrary, octopus arms (and their suckers) are very strong.
Many people find Octopuses to taste very rich. Squid meat is tougher and smoother - but is tender and firm when cooked, allowing it to soak up flavors or fry into delicious ringlets known around the globe as calamari.
It can be grilled, seared, boiled, braised, and even eaten raw as sashimi. One of the most popular preparations of squid is chopped, breaded, and fried.
Yanagidako is a cleaned and fully cooked octopus and is entirely edible. The tentacles can be sliced thin and are quite tender and tasty. The skin has a pleasing red color while the meat is a creamy white. Sliced or diced yanagidako can be easily added to salads, ceviche, soups, and sushi preparations.
Raw Octopus
The difference between cooked octopus and raw is simply the fact that one of them has been pre-cooked. The company freezes the octopus, cooks it, and freezes it again. The main advantage of buying cooked octopus is time savings. You just need to thaw it, then eat it as is.
Tenderising the octopus:
The best thing you can do is to take a rounded wooden stick (or a meat pounder) and to beat it hard, for about 10 minutes, on its the head (the area around the eyes) and on the tentacles all their way long. This operation will stretch the fibres and make the meat tender.
It can be very expensive to buy Octopus to cook on your own or when you go to a restaurant. This is due to the process of capturing and processing it.
Countries that eat the most octopus are Korea, Japan and Mediterranean countries where they are considered a delicacy.
Anatomical Differences
Calamari, which are essentially squid, sport ten arms; eight shorter and two longer tentacles used for feeding. On the other hand, octopuses have eight, equal-length arms covered in suction cups. These suckers serve various purposes, including capturing prey and sensing their environment.
They're much tougher than the connective tissues of bony fish. Octopus connective tissue has to be heated to around 130 degrees before it begins to dissolve into gelatin, and it dissolves quickly only near the boil. That's why most recipes advise boiling or simmering.
Octopus is much like squid: If you keep the cooking time minimal, under five minutes or so, you get a chewy but not unpleasant texture; this is a good technique for octopus salad or sushi. But for most preparations, long, slow cooking, which yields a tender texture, is best.