Diving into Blogging with my unexpected Octopus Adventure

Right, so here I am, staring at a blank screen, officially committing to this whole "blogging" thing. Honestly, I feel like I'm about to jump out of a plane without checking if the parachute is actually a backpack full of socks. Why am I so nervous? Who knows! Maybe it's the thought of my rambling thoughts being unleashed upon the world. Or maybe it's the crushing pressure of being interesting. What if my life is just a never-ending loop of mismatched yarns and lukewarm cups of tea? Well we shall find out...here goes the first blog!

Speaking of things that are slightly terrifying yet oddly compelling... I won an octopus.

Yes, you read that right. An actual, eight-tentacled cephalopod. Apparently, my son (bless his adventurous soul) decided a shoulder of lamb was far too mainstream and came waltzing back from the pub raffle with a bag containing this... creature. Now, I enjoy a good seafood dish as much as the next person, but this is pushing it. I mean, it is an adventure and it will be an endeavour but I didn't expect it to be such a challenge for my first blog

So, what does one do with an unexpected cephalopod? Google it, obviously. Turns out, freezing  helps tenderise the meat (who knew?). Then it's a simple case of boiling it with some herbs (I'm thinking bay leaf, oregano and a hint of panic), letting it cool, and then giving it a good grilling. The recipe I found is a Spanish number, which sounds fancy enough to distract from the fact that I'm essentially winging it. I'm thinking of a Mediterranean salad and some roasted potatoes on the side. Wish me luck! 

The recipe is  a Spanish recipe and will be served with a mediterranean salad and potatoes and the first one I tried ....

Ingredients:

• 1 whole octopus (about 2–3 lbs), cleaned

• 2 bay leaves, oregano

• 1 small onion, quartered

• 2 tbsp sea salt

• 4 medium Yukon Gold or red potatoes, sliced into rounds

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp smoked paprika (Pimentón de la Vera, sweet or hot)

• 1 tsp flaky sea salt (like Maldon or coarse sea salt)

Instructions:

Step 1: Cook the Octopus

1. Boil a large pot of water and add bay leaves, onion, and 2 tablespoons of salt.

2. “Scare” the octopus: Grasp it by the head and dip it into the boiling water three times before fully immersing it. This keeps the skin intact.

3. Lower to a gentle simmer and cook for 45–60 minutes, or until it is fork-tender. (Test by piercing the thickest tentacle with a knife—it should penetrate easily.)

4. Once cooked, remove from the water and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Step 2: Prepare the Potatoes

1. While the octopus is resting, boil the sliced potatoes in the same water for 15 minutes, until they are fork-tender.

2. Drain and place them on a serving plate.

Step 3: Slice & Serve

1. Cut the octopus tentacles into ½-inch thick rounds.

2. Place the octopus slices on top of the boiled potatoes.

3. Generously drizzle with olive oil.

4. Season with smoked paprika and flaky sea salt to taste.

   
   
   
   

The response to this was met with some negative feedback; you know that look from those served the dish that says, "this is not what I expected." It was as if I had served them a plate of disappointment garnished with confusion. I felt a bit like a chef on a cooking show, except instead of applause, I received the silent treatment—definitely not the Michelin star I was aiming for! I then tried griddling the octopus with olive oil, thinking, "What if I barbecued it? Maybe it would taste less like a science experiment and more like a culinary masterpiece." Spoiler alert: it worked like a charm! The second serving received much more positive feedback, which was a relief. I mean, who knew octopus could go from 'what is this?' to 'where have you been all my life?' This will definitely be the approach I use moving forward—because if at first you don’t succeed, just add some olive oil and pretend you meant to do it all along!

Octopus is something I will try in future and will attempt to use a tapas approach.

Have you any experience of cooking octopus what would you suggest?