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I have got some steamed Spanish octopus in the freezer that I'm going to grill and serve as an appetizer. From testing with a pairing knife it seems quite chewy.

I've had success in the past with fresh octopus after boiling for 90 minutes or so. I've also tried grilling pre-cooked frozen octopus and it was chewy. Everything I've read at this point is about preparing fresh but I'm not sure how to apply this to the pre-steamed stuff I have.

I don't know if I should I cook it some more or if I should I tenderize it some how (is massaging it after steaming a thing?)

What can I do at this stage to serve tender octopus?

Thanks!

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  • Beats me. The steaming is supposed to keep it from getting chewy.
    – FuzzyChef
    Commented May 26, 2023 at 22:52

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I've never tried this myself, but everything I've read [from trustworthy sources] says the longer you cook it, the softer it gets, like braising steak etc. High collagen = long cook.

From that I'd extrapolate that if it's not tender enough after the pre-cook, then boiling it some more would help; before finally grilling it.

Serious eats [though they are discussing fresh not pre-cooked] say that no amount of hammering makes any difference. They also suggest chilling between boiling & searing.

If you've time, I'd test a bit first, see how much extra boiling it needs.

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    I tried this and it worked. I boiled for an extra 45-60 minutes until knife tender before a quick grill and it came out tender and crispy. My only regret was boiling over steaming, the skin lost some integrity an parts of it fell off.
    – SchwarzWithNoT
    Commented May 28, 2023 at 18:12

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