Grilled Octopus

I am so pleased to share a recipe that I just stumbled upon. I finally figured out octopus…

The key for octopus is that it has to be braised or you’ll be chewing it for a long time! The other thing is that I used a 3 pound octopus for this and it was barely enough for 3 people. I suggest adjusting your octopi for the people and if it will be the main attraction. This is a base recipe and I am not including a marinade as I am still working the kinks out.

1) 2-4 lb cleaned octopus, put in a Crockpot with 5 allspice berries (or a 1tsp of cinnamon), 2 -3 cloves of garlic minced, a bay leaf, some thyme . Cover with red wine. Put on high for 4-6 hours until the skirt (between head and arms) are knife tender.

2) Take out octopus and cut the head off, and cut the arm section in half (4 arms each). The head will be tiny at this point.

3) Get your grill piping hot! All you want to do is add a bit of char/crunch to your octopus since it is already cooked. Oil your grill or the octopus and cook a minute or two a side just to get that crunch you desire. DONE!

4) Put your octopus into a marinade of some type. I would use an Italian dressing in a pinch for now. Let it sit in the marinade for 5-10 minutes. Cut your octopus into bite size pieces. Serve on a bed of lovely saffron or Spanish rice.

Eat.Drink.Savor.

Mussels a la Nosh

Here is a even better recipe than I posted before for steamed mussels. The broth will be even more concentrated and flavorful

1) 2-3 pounds of mussels, let soak in water for a few hours to ensure there is no grit/sand is in mussels. Inspect each mussel for any “beard” hanging out, rip or cut that off. Also, for any mussels that are not fully closed when you grab them, throw them out. Any cracked or damaged ones has the same fate.

2) Add 1 1/2 c. of Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc with 1/2 c. minced shallots, 5 springs of parsley/cilantro, 6 TBSP of Irish butter (Kerry Gold) and 6 cloves of garlic minced into pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.

3) Add mussels and shake or stir a few times during a 6 minute cook. Any longer than that you can overcook them. Examine the broth for any grit. If there is any, let it settle a bit before you pour them over your mussels. Enjoy with some crust bread…

Eat.Drink.Savor.

Moules A La Mariniere - Steamed Mussels

The first of several mussel recipes I will share. The pic shown is one of a Provencal version. But once you have this base recipe down, you can go crazy with experiments. This is a 5-10 minute recipe so bring your appetite. I offer Julia Child’s version and my options:

1) 2 C light dry wine or 2 C seafood stock/water, 1/2 C of sliced shallots or mild onion of your choice, 3 cloves of garlic, a few parsley sprigs/thyme and 6 TBSPs of butter, unsalted. Bring to a boil for 3 -4 minutes.

2) Add 2-4 pounds of cleaned mussels to the pot. Put on high heat and boil for about 5 minutes until all the shells or the majority of them are open. Any unopened shells are likely bad so throw out. Skim out the mussels into serving plates. I like to filter the cooking liquid through a fine cheesecloth or let liquid settle briefly and carefully ladle onto the mussels. Bring your crusty bread!!!

Eat.Drink.Savor.

Seared Sea Scallops

With what is available to us here in the US, we are rather spoiled. What used to be a short period of the year to enjoy many food items is now a yearlong thing. We have 24/7 and Amazon access to everything we want.

I attempt to stay to my old fashioned roots and use fresh, in-season items. Pictured on the left is Sea Scallops from New England Fishmongers. The season is ending and I just had to grab them. Even though I could get them year round, maybe I am contributing to the sustainability of the product or just supporting the local fishery and the people that work in it. For a viewer:

1 -2# Sea Scallops. Try to have them all the same size to cook evenly.

For the dressing: 1/4C Mayo, 1 tsp Srircha, 1 tsp lime juice and a pinch of sugar. We can play with these ratios to have some fun.

Mix the dressing ingredients, take 1 TBSP and mix with scallops in another bowl.

Put the scallops in a shallow roasting pan, and put in oven at 500 degrees 5 minutes.

Take Scallops out, Put the oven to Broil. Flip scallops over and put a dollop of the reserved dressing. Put in broiler 2-3 minutes.

Eat.Drink.Savor.