Grilled octopus at Estadio. Photo by Alicia Mazzara.

Dish of the week: Grilled octopus

Where: Estadio, Blacksalt, Sushi Ko, Masa 14

Grilled octopus is one of those high risk, high reward foods. At its best, it can be transcendent — crunchy on the outside and meaty on the inside. Good octopus will have a bit of chew to it, like al dente pasta. But badly cooked octopus is like eating a rubber tire: you could gnaw on it for days and still not break down the tough muscles and connective tissues.

Since octopuses do not have bones, the muscles of the tentacles pull double-duty as a support system. And since octopuses can live for years, the older the animal, the tougher the meat. Even baby octopuses have to be carefully cooked to ensure that the tentacles don’t cause the diner to develop TMJ. To break down the muscle fibers, the legs are boiled and braised for several hours before they even hit the grill.

Octopus has a mild flavor that is complemented by a variety of seasonings, from soy and mirin to lemon and oregano. On a recent visit to Estadio, the octopus was the perfect balance of tender and chewy; the bitter char on the outside was complemented nicely by buttery slices of Yukon gold potato and the natural sweetness of sauteed red pepper and onion.

All that aside, we know that some of you probably still can’t get past the look of those curly purple tentacles dotted with little white suckers. Do you have a favorite place to eat octopus, or do you think it’s a rubbery, eight-legged horror unfit for human consumption? Let us know in the comments.