Eight legs, no fears

Chefs around China tell Mike Peters that tasty octopus is all in the cooking.

Do you find octopus to be a little scary, especially on your dinner plate?

Spanish kitchens have a tradition that reverses any sense of fear. There, it's the octopus who is afraid.

"We buy the octopus fresh and when it arrives, you have to beat it to make the meat softer, to break the fibers, to make sure when you cook it it's not too hard," says Maria Dominguez at Migas.

At that point, tradition - or superstition - steps in.

"Then, we 'scare him' three times. This means when it is boiling in the pot, you take it out and put it back three times, carefully."

Recently, I asked a few chefs who like to serve the eight-legged sea creature whether people love octopus or hate it (like the fragrant fruit durian), or whether the right preparation could win over the naysayers.

"People usually like it," one Chinese-American chef tells me. "No one hates it."

Obviously, he didn't grow up in the US state of Texas like I did. There, the usual place to see octopus was in cartoons. The one time I did eat it as a teenager, my suspicions that it was weird, rubbery and tasteless were quickly confirmed.

Much later, however, I had the chance to spend a holiday in Greece, where cooks at seaside restaurants lightly grill fresh octopus, and simply brush it with olive oil, fresh lemon and maybe some herbs right at hand.

The taste was sensational, and I've been a fan ever since.

Rubbery? Most chefs say the first defense is getting fresh seafood. Beating the flesh is not everyone's way to make it tender - Max Levy at Okra in Beijing and Hong Kong never does that. He likes to slowly freeze octopus to soften it.

"This helps break down the tissues," he says. "The answer is never black and white. Some people just don't like a chewy consistency, but if octopus is cooked too much it becomes mushy."

Even chefs who give octopus a beating really handle the deep-sea creature with care.

Dominguez says that when chefs "scare" the octopus, they lift it in and out of the boiling pot carefully to avoid breaking the skin. After the third boil, they remove it "very, very carefully" for the same reason, and spread it out in a big bowl to cool a little to make sure the skin isn't damaged.

"My mom says that you cannot pick it with a fork or anything while it is cooking," she adds, "or it will get hard, too."

Some chefs simply cook and slice octopus for a sashimi plate. In Beijing, chefs at Shin at Brick and Wood also poach the creature in yuzu sauce, and grill it as a main dish. Casa Italia's new menu boasts a creative salad by chef Corrado Michelazzo: fresh cooked octopus with potatoes, egg, avocado, grapefruit, olive and peppers - all in sweet vinegar sauce and organic olive oil.

Mediterranean cuisine invites many cooking methods, from soups and salads to grilled dishes.

"I think that one of the best regions for flavorful seafood is the Mediterranean Sea because of how deep the water is," says new head chef Alberto Boccelli at Ee Da Le in Hong Kong. "This region is packed with amazing ingredients and it inspired me to craft my signature appetizer, La Siciliana. Another influence behind this dish is the unique aroma that comes from the fennel and oranges grown in the Mediterranean Sea area."

His La Siciliana (HK$198 or $25.50) is a beautifully grilled octopus with bottarga (salted fish roe), fennel, orange and bell pepper.

Each region of Italy has a unique way of preparing octopus, he says: "From the process used in Liguria with basil to the one in Campania with tomatoes in Puglia olives. Traveling around Italy is a culinary journey where people can sample Sicilian octopus seasoned with citrus, Sardinian octopus with celery, and Tuscan octopus cooked in red wine."

While he's been raised on Mediterranean technique, Boccelli has already come to appreciate what Chinese chefs can do with octopus.

"I particularly enjoy munching on deep-fried octopus as a snack in China," he says. "The crunchy texture combined with the savory flavoring is so delicious. I also love the Chinese way of preparing octopus with long beans and black bean paste."

Does he have a secret for grilling octopus?

"Adding a good touch of extra virgin Italian olive oil to octopus is something I always do to get the perfect flavor," he says.

Contact the writer at michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/24/2017 page19)