Steamed Lemongrass Octopus: Easy & Delicious Recipe Guide

Steamed lemongrass octopus is an attractive and nutritious dish that preserves the fresh flavor of seafood. This dish is not only easy to make but also perfect for treating the whole family on weekends. Let’s explore how to make steamed lemongrass octopus with our Cookbook Handbook.

Ingredients

To make steamed lemongrass octopus, you need to prepare the following ingredients:

• Octopus: 500g
• Lemongrass: 3 stalks
• Ginger: 1 knob
• Chili and other seasonings to taste.

Preparation

Before you start cooking, you need to prepare the ingredients as follows:

• Wash the lemongrass thoroughly, bruise it, then cut it into segments.
• Peel the ginger, wash it, then slice it into thin strips.
• Mince the chili.
• Clean the octopus thoroughly, then rub it with salt and lemon juice to remove any fishy smell. You can substitute lemon juice with vinegar or white wine. Afterward, rinse multiple times with water, drain, then marinate evenly with ginger and chili.

Cleaned octopus marinated with ginger and chili

Cooking

Moving on to the cooking phase, proceed as follows:

• First, place the lemongrass in the steamer pot, pour a moderate amount of water into the pot, place the steaming rack inside, then arrange the marinated octopus with ginger and chili on top.
• Place the steamer on the stove, cook over high heat until the water boils, then reduce to low heat. Steam for about 15 minutes until the octopus is cooked (adjust steaming time according to the size of the octopus). To keep the octopus tender and crispy, it should be cooked just right, not overcooked, as this will make it chewy.
• Once cooked, transfer the octopus to a plate and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Steamed lemongrass octopus retaining its natural sweetness

Dipping Sauce Suggestions

Steamed lemongrass octopus can be served with chili sauce for the simplest dipping option. Alternatively, you can dip it in ginger fish sauce or mustard dipping sauce to enhance the flavor.

Tips for a More Delicious Steamed Lemongrass Octopus

To make steamed lemongrass octopus even more delicious, you can apply the following tips:

• When preparing octopus dishes, especially steamed octopus, there’s no need to marinate with a lot of salt. Octopus is naturally salty, so adding extra seasoning is unnecessary and can detract from the dish’s flavor.
• You can also use beer instead of water for steaming as described above.

Using beer to steam octopus

• If the octopus is large, you should cut it into 2 or 3 pieces to cook faster. Avoid cutting it too small, as this will make the octopus less sweet and flavorful after steaming. You can steam it whole and then cut it into bite-sized pieces after it’s cooked.
• Besides steaming as instructed above, you can also boil the octopus.

Nutritional Value of Octopus

Octopus is a highly nutritious seafood. Every 100g of octopus meat contains:

• 59 Kcal (very low energy compared to other seafood).
• 84.9g water (high water content helps you feel full quickly).
• 13.3g protein.
• 0.6g fat (low fat).
• Several minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, along with many essential vitamins for the body like vitamins A, B1, B2, PP,…

Octopus is very rich in nutrients

Based on the nutritional composition provided by octopus, octopus meat is excellent for replenishment. It’s also good for brain health due to its high iodine content. Consuming octopus meat helps sick individuals, those with anemia, postpartum women, and underweight people recover quickly. For those concerned about weight gain, octopus also offers the benefit of providing many essential minerals and vitamins with low energy, so there’s no worry about being overweight or obese.

Low-calorie octopus meat for healthy weight management

However, if you consume dead octopus or octopus that has been preserved for a long time, its nutritional value will significantly decrease. Consumers may also face an increased risk of poisoning due to preservatives or microorganisms. Therefore, when purchasing octopus, you should choose reputable suppliers. Be careful in your selection before buying. Importantly, do not consume blue-ringed octopus as they contain a very potent neurotoxin called Tetrodotoxin. This substance can cause numbness in the lips, tongue, mouth, toes, fingers, difficulty breathing, etc. Therefore, when choosing, avoid octopuses with blue-ringed patterns.

Conclusion

Steamed lemongrass octopus is an easy, delicious, and nutritious dish. With the detailed instructions above, you can confidently prepare this dish to treat your family on weekends. We wish you success and delicious meals! To explore more octopus dishes, you can check out how to make steamed coconut water octopus.