How to cook baby octopus

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I bought some marinated baby octopus that I am cooking for dinner in about 2 hours. This is the first time that I ever bought it and have no idea how to cook it. The instructions on the packet, just say light pan fry or grill but doesn't say for how long. Can someone please help me with tips to cook baby octopus? Is the head edible or do I chop it off?

Best Answer

This recipe for Grilled Baby Octopus has instructions for cleaning them. You can either cut off the heads, or if you choose to retain them:

Make a shallow cut along the head, being careful not to cut too deep and puncture the innards. Carefully but firmly pull out everything inside. Cut the head off, turn it inside out and use a knife to scrape away the innards.

In both cases, if a small black, triangular beak does not come out along with everything else, then push your finger up through the middle of the body and the beak should pop out.

As explained in this question, you will want to cook octopus very briefly so it does not get rubbery, or for a long time, to move past the rubbery stage. If, as mentioned in the question, you wish to fry them, the cooking time may be around one minute. Some recipes suggest 2-3 minutes per side.

For specific recipes, you can google "baby octopus recipe".

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