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Tell me, O Octopus, I begs,
Is those things arms, or is they legs?
I marvel at thee, Octopus
If I were thou, I'd call me us.
~ "The Octopus" by Ogden Nash
Like my favorite poet, Ogden Nash, I am quite taken with the octopus – especially in the culinary sense. At Mediterranean restaurants, grilled octopus is one of my favorite small plates. Octopus stew was unknown to me until very recently when work took me to Catania, Sicily. I dined with some colleagues at a charming restaurant called Canni & Pisci (meat and fish) located right in the historic center of the city. We ordered from the set menu which featured something like 10 or 12 different seafood appetizers followed by pasta and fish or meat. Everything was terrific but one of my favorite appetizers was the octopus stew. I came straight home and created my own baby octopus stew.
Notes on Baby Octopus Stew
The octopus stew I had in Sicily was made from a larger octopus. However, when I went to the market they only had fresh baby octopus. Their regular octopus was frozen. I bought a pound of each and experimented. We definitely like the baby octopus better. It was very tender and had a more interesting appearance. The frozen octopus came out a bit chewy.
Tip: I generally get my octopus at Asian supermarkets. They always have it and it’s way cheaper than I’ve seen elsewhere. I picked up the fresh baby octopus for $4.99 a pound. They were pre-cleaned too which is nice. If your octopus is not cleaned, here’s a great video on what to do.
The remaining ingredients in this stew include potatoes, tomatoes, wine, lemon, and a few herbs. I also tossed in a few clams on a whim. Clams were definitely not part of the Sicilian stew I had but I love clams and I think they worked out well. I’ve listed them as optional – I think the stew is good with or without them.
Suggested Pairings: Crusty bread and an Italian red. Try a Sicilian red from Mount Etna if you can find one.
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Sicilian Baby Octopus Stew
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Seafood
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This simple Sicilian stew is healthy and delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh baby octopus, cleaned (or thawed if frozen)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp fennel seed
- 1 cup white wine
- ¾ pound potatoes, chopped into 1 inch pieces (I use gold potatoes)
- 1 bay leaf
- zest of one lemon
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 28 ounces canned cherry tomatoes*
- 1 tsp sugar
- juice of zested lemon
- 8–10 manila or littleneck clams, cleaned (optional)
- small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add octopus and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and transfer octopus to cutting board. Chop into bite sized pieces.
- Heat olive oil in large dutch oven. Add onion and cook over medium-low heat for 7 minutes. Add the octopus, garlic, red pepper, and fennel seed and cook 2 minutes more.
- Add the potatoes, wine, bay leaf, and lemon zest. Cook for 4 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and sugar and simmer covered for 45 minutes. Add lemon juice and adjust seasoning to taste.
- Add the clams, cover, and simmer another 4-5 minutes until clams have opened.
- Add parsley, reserving a few tablespoons to garnish individual bowls. Stir to combined and serve in large stew bowls. Garnish with parsley and pair with crusty bread.
Notes
- If you can’t find canned cherry tomatoes you can substitute canned whole tomatoes (and crush them by hand). Italian specialty food stores carry canned cherry tomatoes. You can find 6-packs of canned Cento cherry tomatoes on Amazon too.
Keywords: octopus, stew, Sicilian
