Tender Baby Octopus, Expertly Cleaned with Instant Coffee for a Fresh Taste
Tender Baby Octopus, Expertly Cleaned with Instant Coffee for a Fresh Taste
How to Clean Baby Octopus Without the Fishy Smell Using Instant Coffee Mix
Discover the secret to perfectly cleaning baby octopus, making it tender and free from any unpleasant odors using a simple trick with instant coffee mix. This method ensures your baby octopus is perfectly prepped for any dish, enhancing its natural flavor.
Main Ingredients- 10 pieces of baby octopus
- 3 packets of instant coffee mix
- Kitchen scissors
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Start by examining the head of the baby octopus. You’ll notice the ink sac and the outer skin of the head are connected by a thin membrane. Locating this connection is key to easy cleaning.
Step 2
Carefully insert your kitchen scissors into the head, right at the membrane connecting the ink sac to the skin. Cut through this membrane. Then, from the outside of the head, gently push downwards and turn the head inside out, much like peeling off a hat.
Step 3
Once the head is turned inside out, you’ll see that a large portion of the internal organs is attached to the head skin by a membrane, while another part is connected by string-like tissue. You can either snip the wider membrane attachment with scissors or gently tear it off with your fingers.
Step 4
After detaching the main internal organs from the head skin, use your scissors to cut away any remaining digestive tract attached to the body. This ensures the head is thoroughly cleaned.
Step 5
Next, let’s tackle the eyes. Look closely at the area just below each eye on the head. You’ll see the eye is composed of two parts. Make a small incision with your knife just beneath each eye. Don’t cut too deep; aim to separate the eye from the head.
Step 6
After making the small incisions below the eyes, use your scissors to carefully cut out and remove each eye. This step ensures the eyes are completely removed.
Step 7
Now, turn the main body of the baby octopus over. You should be able to see a small opening where the tentacles meet the body. This is where the beak is located.
Step 8
Aim directly at the opening (the beak area) and firmly press down on the head of the baby octopus with your thumb or finger. Apply steady pressure downwards towards the opening.
Step 9
With sufficient pressure, the hard beak will pop out from the opening between the tentacles. This technique effectively removes the beak.
Step 10
Place the cleaned baby octopus (with internal organs, eyes, and beak removed) into a bowl. Add 3 packets of instant coffee mix. A good ratio is about 1 packet of coffee mix per 3-4 pieces of baby octopus. Gently knead the octopus with the coffee mix for about 3 minutes. The coffee helps to absorb excess moisture and neutralize any fishy odors.
Step 11
After kneading with the coffee mix, rinse the baby octopus thoroughly under running water, about two times. You might notice a slight coffee aroma initially, but as you rinse, any fishy smell will disappear, replaced by a pleasant, subtle coffee scent. This leaves the baby octopus smelling fresh and ready to be cooked to perfection!
