CARIBBEAN STEWED OCTOPUS

Caribbean Stewed Octopus image

Delicious, tender octopus stewed in white wine, butter, caramelized onions, ginger, and garlic. This is a re-creation from a dish I had in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica at a restaurant called Koki Beach. It was pretty spot-on. It is advised to wear gloves when handling an octopus because some people get a skin reaction. Since I didn't have any available, and don't have any known food allergies, I took my chances and ended up ok and rash-free.

Provided by Angela Russell

Categories Seafood Shellfish Octopus and Squid

Time 3h

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 9

Ingredients

¼ cup butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 (1 pound) piece octopus, beak and eyes removed, or more to taste
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup crushed ice
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
2 large cloves garlic, minced
½ (750 milliliter) bottle dry white wine (such as Pinot Grigio)

Steps:

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and oil in a skillet over medium heat; stir in onion. Cook and stir until onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until onion is very tender and dark brown, about 30 minutes more.
Rinse octopus. Place on a flat work surface and cut tentacles into thirds. Chop the head into bite-sized pieces. Place octopus pieces in a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag. Mix in salt and add crushed ice. Seal the bag and place into a larger grocery bag. Pound the octopus with the smooth side of a meat mallet until as tender as possible. Remove octopus from the bag and let drain in a colander.
Stir ginger and garlic into the skillet with the onion; cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in wine and the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Add octopus; reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring every 10 minutes, until flavors meld, about 1 hour. Uncover and continue simmering until sauce is thickened to your liking and octopus is tender, about 1 hour more.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 366.3 calories, Carbohydrate 9.3 g, Cholesterol 115.5 mg, Fat 16.8 g, Fiber 0.4 g, Protein 27 g, SaturatedFat 8.2 g, Sodium 856.8 mg, Sugar 1.7 g