Octopus Cooked Island Style
From elgourmand2 8 years ago
- 1 Hr +20min to make
- Serves Some
Most people only visit Polynesia but I live there. In Samoa they have just one way of cooking octopus (outside of adding it to an Umu or Imu) and the Hawaiians, Tongans and Fijians all do about the same thing. They cut the octopus into chunks, boil it in salted water for an hour, discard the water, add peepee (coconut cream), salt and pepper and boil it another 15 minutes, or so, until the peepee thickens. Read more They serve this with different veggies, or a combo of veggies. It’s really quite good. I don’t usually cook it this way but some gets sent over by one neighbor or another from time to time. For Samoans, sharing food is a cultural thing. I decided to see what I could do with octopus, Island style. The method isn’t all that different from the usual way but the ingredients are and the results are delicious. See less
Ingredients
- • 2 ½-3 lb. octopus, cleaned and cut into large bite size chunks. shopping list
- • 1 cup dry white wine. shopping list
- • 1 large bay leaf. shopping list
- • 1 tsp. pepper infused oil. shopping list
- • 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce. Optional. shopping list
- • Juice of 2 oranges or lemons. shopping list
- • 1 tsp. whole pepper corns. shopping list
- • 1 tsp. basil. shopping list
- • 2 cloves garlic, peeled & bruised. shopping list
- • Water to cover. shopping list
- • 2½ cups freshly made, un-diluted peepee (coconut cream). Use a fresh kawaga. This is not likely to be possible for you so use 3 cans of the store bought stuff. shopping list
- • Salt and FG pepper to taste. shopping list
How to make it
- 1. Combine all ingredients, except the peepee and salt and pepper, in a suitable pot and add just enough water to cover by about 1 in. Bring to a medium simmer.
- 2. Cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes, until a sharp paring knife slips in and out easily. Older octopus takes a bit longer.
- 3. Remove the octopus to a bowl and discard the boiling stuff.
- 4. Rinse out the boiling pot and return the octopus to same.
- 5. Add the peepee and a bit of salt and FG pepper.
- 6. Over a medium high flame, bring the octopus and peepee to the boil, stirring often.
- 7. Boil and stir the octopus/peepee until the peepee thickens to the desired consistency. Some like it thick and some like it thin. About medium gravy is my choice.
- 8. Turn off the stove and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- 9. There should be a fair amount of the thickened peepee with the octopus but this isn’t soup. You shouldn’t have to searchfor the octopus. See Photo
- How to serve this? Actually, whatever works for you is great. Traditionally, octopus is served with steamed breadfruit, Hawaiian poi, steamed taro or made into luau with steamed taro leaves. You’ll find poi in the supermarket and you may find taro, breadfruit or taro leaves at an Asian or Polynesian market.
- • Properly done, the taro or breadfruit options are very nice. If you find taro or breadfruit at your local Asian market, just scrape the skin off, steam until tender, slice and spoon the octopus over it.
- • You can add the octopus to a bowl of cooked and drained spinach and be close to luau; very tasty and, with steamed breadfruit, my favorite.
- • Or, make up what my daughter calls super-rice. One cup short grained white rice plus ½ cup wild rice plus 1 tsp. oregano, a bit of salt and 2½ cups cold water. Cook as usual but do not lift the lid and let sit, covered, for 15 minutes after cooking. Spoon the octopus and peepee over the rice.
People Who Like This Dish 3
- tuilelaith Columbia, MO
- MikeyfromAR Colorado High Desert, US Of A
- clbacon Birmingham, AL
- elgourmand2 APia, Samoa
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