| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 25 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 2 hr 15 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 1 1/2-pound octopuses, cleaned
- 1 white onion, halved
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 red onion, thickly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 dried chiles de arbol, cut into rounds
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Corn tortillas, warmed, for serving
- Fresh cilantro and diced white onion, for topping
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water; add the octopuses, white onion halves and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Simmer until the octopuses are very tender, about 2 hours. Drain, discarding the onion and bay leaf. Let the octopuses cool; cut into small pieces.
- Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red onion and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and chiles and cook, stirring, until tender, 3 more minutes. Add the octopuses and saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve in tortillas; top with cilantro and diced white onion. Serve with lime wedges.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 201 |
| Total Fat | 6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 26 g |
| Cholesterol | 93 mg |
| Sodium | 499 mg |
Reviews
As written, I think this recipe would be bland. I gave it 4-stars to give it the benefit of the doubt. Boiling octopus in water takes away so much of the flavor provided by the ink! For a fantastic 5-star recipe, braise the octopus instead. Clean and rinse the octopus. Massage salt into its legs (this will feel like your hands are covered in snot). Rinse again. In a large pan, heat 1-2 tbsp. olive oil on low-med heat. Add onion chopped into large pieces (smaller than halved but not so small you’d add it to a sauce) and bay leaves. Place the octopi on top and cover. The octopi will start to shed their liquid. Once there’s some liquid in the pan, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until tender, 45 min-1.5 hours. You’ll know it’s done when you stick a skewer into the leg and there’s little resistance. Remove your octopus and cut into small pieces. Continue to boil the liquid in the pan. Let the liquid reduce until it’s thick. Strain into a small bowl and mix with a few tbsp. crema. Prepare the red onions and chiles as directed. I also added a tsp. of Mexican oregano and that was fantastic. Top the tacos with cilantro, onion, and the inky crema. Trust me on this– it’s mind blowingly good. These were also good topped with a habanero and roasted tomato salsa.