How to Properly Cook Octopus

Octopus can make a delicious treat, an entire meal, or a flavorful addition to a seafood dish. The trouble is that, unlike its close relative the squid, octopus can get extremely chewy to the point where one can barely stand to eat it. This doesn't have to be the case, though. With the right preparation, anyone can make sure that their octopus turns out yummy and not rubbery. Here are a few things to keep in mind while cooking octopus.

Let it sit in its own juices for a while first. Put the octopus in a pot on low heat and let it braise there for a long time, about an hour or two.

Boil the octopus in a large pot of water. The amount of time that you boil the octopus depends on how big it is. If it can fit in your hand, you'll only need to boil it for a minute or two; if it weighs around half a pound or less, you'll want to boil it for 4-5 minutes; and if it's a whopper weighing over two pounds, go ahead and boil it for 8-10 minutes.

Braise the octopus in herbs. Prepare a brazier or other heavy, oven-proof pot by lining it with herbs and spices. Use whatever herbs and spices you enjoy. Some suggestions are lemongrass, rosemary, bay leaves, shallot, and fresh oregano.

When your octopus is done boiling, remove it from the water and, if it's on the larger side, chop off its head (there's not a lot of good meat in there; you'll just be eating the tentacles.) Place the headless octopus into the herb-lined pot, close the lid and put the whole thing into a 200 degree oven. For a tiny octopus, check it after 1-2 hours. For a small to medium octopus, check it after 3-4 hours; and for a large octopus, give it a good 5 hours.

Add the final touches. Once your octopus is done cooking, take it out of the oven and run your fingers over its legs to remove excess fat. Then simply add salt, olive oil, lemon and whatever other additions you enjoy.

Congratulations, you've just prepared some delicious octopus! It should keep for about a week.

Don't freeze your leftovers! This will make the octopus deteriorate. To store leftovers, simply keep them in a sealed container in the fridge.

The amount of time you boil the octopus depends on how big it is