"octopus" news and stories

Have you ever wondered how sushi chefs prepare the large, tentacle-ridden octopus into a delicious delicacy that ends up between your chopsticks? Or, if you're a more adventurous sort, just how you yourself could prepare the cephalopod for your plate?

The laid-back guys at Sushi Bar TV demonstrate just how easy it is to make an eight-legger ready for consumption: With a few slices and a little tenderizing, you're good to go. If the thought of slicing a whole octopus doesn't make you squeamish, watch the video above, in which host Jean Giron -- director of operations at San Diego's Sushi on a Roll -- prepares the octopus and uses it to make some tasty nigiri.

This is only one of the site's great videos. Check out the others, which include California rolls, poke salad and even the fearless Giron taking a bite out of fresh wasabi for a rather impressive, if stomach-turning, outtake.

[Via Sushi Bar TV]

They're slippery. They're slimy. And they're alive.

This coming week, Fine Living Network will be airing episodes of our favorite Iron Chef Japan in which creatures of the deep are battled every night at 11/10 Central. Watch as these chefs attack and cook living sea creatures in a way that makes you wonder if you're a bad person for watching. This is an excellent week for anyone who hasn't had enough Halloween, or likes Animal Planet and wishes Japanese chefs could be involved.

Not for the squeamish, these squirmy seafoods do get slaughtered right in front of your very eyes. Mother nature would be proud watching the food chain established so aggressively, but your mother might think you need therapy. You be the judge!

Oh, and click here for the Iron Chef Drinking Game.

Source

MSG is in more foods than you might think. But it's not the devil.

More on Frank Bruni's favorite new non-NYC restaurants.

Memories of Caribbean jerk chicken with pineapple (with recipes).

One-pot shrimp curry recipe.

How to cook an octopus. Hint: very slowly.

A quick lesson in pancetta.

Source

I must confess that I don't think too much about aerating wines before I drink them other than giving a red a couple of swirls around an oversized glass and letting it set for a few minutes before drinking. Of course, I'm not generally drinking wines that really need to be decanted either. If I was given one of these neat Pewter Octopus Wine Aerators for the holidays, possibly along with a nice bottle of red, I would rethink my position since the cool looking gadget makes aeration a snap. The octopus is set into the mouth of a decanter and the wine is poured over it, aerating as it flows. The way the stream of wine is interrupted by the twisting of the octopus is far more efficient than simply pouring the wine into a glass or straight into the decanter. If an octopus doesn't float your boat, the aerators are available in sea horse and puffer fish designs as well and all are visually intriguing, although there is some irony to the fact that only ocean-dwelling creatures were chosen to help wines breathe. Each is about $30.

Source

I was cleaning out my pantry a few days ago in preparation for the holidays and ran across some octopuses in a bag. I have all kinds of strange stuff in my pantry and this isn't the most odd. It's a 6"x6"x1/2" mylar retort bag stuffed full of 5.2 oz of sauteed baby octopi. Yes, these are cooked, not frozen octopi. I don't remember buying these so they must have been hidden in the back of the pantry for eons, although the name of the store, Kam Sen, is on the package. So at least I know where I bought them. So is the price, $1.39, not a bad deal. I palpate the bag and inside I can feel each individual octopus. Firm small things about the size of gummy bears, and with just a tad more solid a feel to them. I was about to open the package to try them, but first I read the info and preparation instructions. The first thing that concerns me is that the manufacture and expiration dates are blank. These octopodes could have expired, in one way or another, many years ago. Are they safe? Will my name suddenly drop off the Slashfood Bloggers list, because I myself expire from botulism? A shiver runs down my spine and my stomach clenches into a nice little knot.