Octopus 101

When seeing octopus on a sushi menu, most people don’t even bat an eye but when some of our Cafe Pierre patrons see ‘Grilled Octopus’ on our small plates menu served with marble pee wee potatoes, they usually have a couple questions for us: Is it difficult to prepare octopus at home? What are the benefits of eating octopus? Our answers are always: Yes, once you learn the initial preparation, it’s quite easy to cook octopus. Also, there are many health benefits to eating octopus!

Let’s start with eating, of course. There are plenty of ways to prepare octopus but we prefer our’s grilled. To begin, start by holding the octopus under running water and massage for about a minute to get rid of any grit between its suckers or tentacles. Then boil the octopus in a large pot for about 1-2 minutes, if the octopus is the size of your hand or smaller. Once boiled, cut into smaller pieces and marinate or spice as desired and place on a preheated grill for about one minute per side.

Eating octopus is also beneficial to your health. Not only is it a low calorie, lean option of protein but it also contains iron, which is good to consume if you suffer from fatigue or anemia. Octopus also has calcium, potassium and omega-3 fatty acids. You can also check C, A, and several B vitamins off the list of benefits.

Whether it’s in a salad, pasta or just on its own, octopus is a perfect, healthful option for any meal!