Simply Delicious Octopus Sashimi

The same sweet, thoughtful Korean mom from my earlier Simply Delicious Korean Pork Chops post (also the owner of The Ban Chan) showed me how to make simply delicious octopus sashimi.  I have never cooked an octopus before so the whole process of cleaning, preparing, cooking and plating was so fascinating to watch.  You are in for a nice treat!

Simply Delicious Octopus Sashimi

All you need are as follows (the most complicated part is probably making the sauces ; )

• a handful of chopped white radish (this will tenderize the octopus)
• 5 heaping tablespoons of flour
• one package of thawed whole octopus (around $8/pack)
• Sauces:
  • Dark:  soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, finely chopped green, white onions and green hot pepper, sesame seed
  • Red:  Korean red hot pepper paste, soy sauce, vinegar, plum juice (optional), sugar, minced garlic, sesame seed

Bring a pot of water to boil, add chopped white radish:

In the meantime, clean the octopus as follows:

1. Rinse octopus with water:
   
2. Twisting it this way and that, drain:
   
3. Rinse with fresh water, drain again:
4. Add 5 heaping tablespoons of flour onto the drained octopus.  Work the flour into the octopus.  The flour acts like a cleaning/scrubbing agent.  Make sure you work the flour all over the octopus, it is especially effective getting the suckers super clean.
5. Work it!!

6. Find the eyeballs and remove them by using a pair of scissors:7. The other eyeball 8. The eyeballs look like this:9. Rinse throughly with fresh water 10. Make sure you turn the octopus' head inside out and wash the insides:
11. Rinse the octopus legs and suckers throughly:  12. And the body, of course:13. Rinse, wash, change water until the water runs clear:

14. Look how clean the suckers are!

15.  Squeaky clean, ready for the hot bath!  Note:  if you prefer the octopus sashimi to be less salty, you can let it sit in fresh water overnight before proceeding to the "hot bath".

Boiling pot of water with white radish:

Place octopus into the pot:

Cook until it reboils again:

Get a tray of ice cubes

Prep a cold bath for the octopus, so pretty!

Once the octopus totally cools down, drain it:

Separate the legs from..

..The head and body:

Cut into thin slices:

Plating as you slice:

All done!

Mmmmmmmmm you must dip into the two sauces separately.  The sauces make this dish.. Red, black, both taste so different yet so very delicious!

Here are some highly recommended high end sushi restaurants that are worth checking out.

'Till next time,

xox Lily.

2016-2-19