Chemical composition of octopus
When eating seafood, the body is saturated with proteins, essential fatty acids, and a number of vitamins and minerals. Octopus meat can be used in the diet of people who are watching their calorie intake. It is considered dietary.
100 g of product contains:
- 14.9 g protein;
- 1 g fat;
- 2.2 g carbohydrates;
- 1.6 g of ash substances.
Ingestion of 100 g of shellfish provides 20% of the daily protein requirement. The specified seafood is a source of:
- vitamins C, K, E, A, PP, group B;
- minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, potassium, sodium, selenium, copper, manganese, sulfur).
100 g contains 48 mg of cholesterol. You can appreciate the benefits of shellfish by knowing that when they are consumed, the body receives essential amino acids:
- phenylalanine;
- tryptophan;
- threonine;
- methionine;
- lysine;
- leucine;
- isoleucine;
- histidine;
- valine;
- arginine
The composition contains saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, essential amino acids. They are involved in metabolism. There will be benefits even with periodic inclusion of shellfish in the diet.
Vitamins and minerals found in octopus
Vitamins:
A – 45 mcg, B1 – 0.03 mg, B2 – 0.04 mg, B5 – 0.5 mg, B6 – 0.36 mg, B9 – 16 mcg, B12 – 20 mcg, C – 5 mg, E – 1.2 mg, K – 0.1 mcg, PP – 2.1 mg, choline – 65 mg.
Minerals:
calcium – 53 mg, magnesium – 30 mg, sodium – 230 mg, potassium – 350 mg, phosphorus – 186 mg, sulfur – 149.1 mg, iron – 5.3 mg, zinc – 1.68 mg, copper – 435 mcg , manganese – 0.025 mg, selenium – 44.8 mcg.
Read useful information about other seafood:
Squid Mussels Shrimp Sea cucumber Scallop Crab Oysters Lobster
What are the benefits of octopus?
When eating octopus dishes, the body receives the necessary acids, vitamins, and minerals. Shellfish are an excellent source of protein, so their benefits cannot be overestimated. When consuming 100 g of meat, the body receives more than 800% of the daily requirement of vitamin B12. This amount provides 80% of the need for selenium, 50% for iron and copper.
There will be benefits even with occasional consumption of seafood. But their regular inclusion in the diet helps prevent a deficiency of substances necessary for the body. Cephalopods are allowed even for diabetics; their consumption does not affect blood sugar levels.
Octopuses are a source of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other substances that have a positive effect on the functioning of many organs and systems.
Omega-3 acids, which seafood is rich in, control the functioning of the immune, reproductive, and cardiovascular systems. The benefit is that their regular use reduces the likelihood of developing atherosclerosis, hypertension, and thrombosis. People whose diet includes octopus and other seafood rarely experience heart and vascular diseases.
Under the influence of substances contained in these products:
- prevents the formation of cholesterol plaques;
- the elasticity and strength of vascular walls increases;
- calcium metabolism is regulated;
- joint condition improves;
- the body's resistance to infections increases;
- the process of transmitting impulses between neurons is stimulated;
- Concentration increases and memory improves.
The benefits of octopus for the body become visible when it is regularly included in the menu.
Attention! People whose diet contains large quantities of seafood look healthy. They are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, and brain disorders.
What are the benefits of octopus for men?
Shellfish meat has a positive effect on overall health. The inclusion of a large amount of B vitamins, potassium, and fatty acids helps prevent heart attacks, strokes and other diseases associated with disruption of the heart and blood vessels. It normalizes the state of the nervous system, preventing the negative effects of stress on the body.
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The benefits are most noticeable in men suffering from sleep disorders and depressive disorders. Substances contained in seafood have a positive effect on the nervous system.
Thanks to the inclusion of zinc and selenium, the functioning of the hormonal system improves, and testosterone begins to be produced more actively. The combination of B vitamins and these minerals enhances potency, prevents the development of erectile dysfunction and ensures proper functioning of the prostate gland.
This is not all the benefits of octopus meat for men's health. It is believed that regular inclusion of foods with Omega-3 acids in the diet reduces the risk of developing prostate and intestinal cancer.
What are the benefits of octopus for women?
Seafood improves the functioning of many systems and organs. Women need to add them to their diet just like men.
Octopus meat, when consumed regularly, normalizes the functioning of the nervous and cardiovascular systems. In old age, women whose diet included seafood may not be afraid of osteoporosis. The benefit of octopus is that the substances contained in its meat prevent the leaching of calcium from the bones.
Women are recommended to eat octopuses to reduce the risk of developing diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous systems, osteoporosis and the appearance of malignant tumors
Eating seafood triggers the production of prostaglandins in the body. They have an anti-inflammatory effect and prevent collagen destruction. The benefits are visible to the naked eye. The skin of octopus lovers will be smooth, without acne or pimples.
According to research, adding foods rich in Omega-3 acids to your diet reduces the likelihood of developing breast and ovarian cancer by 35%.
How to cook octopus at home. How to cook octopus?
Octopus has long been no longer just a restaurant dish. It can be purchased at any store and prepared at home. Octopuses are the most intellectually developed mollusks. They have no bones and their brain is shaped like a donut. The blood of the mollusk is blue due to the large amount of copper in its composition. And yet, many gourmets prefer to cook octopus at home, loving it for its interesting and unusual taste.
Preparing Ingredients
To prepare a delicious dish, it is important to choose the right ingredients. When choosing seafood, you need to take into account some nuances.
- If you have a great desire to enjoy the delicate taste of shellfish, then you should choose a live product. In this case, most likely, you will need to spend money on cutting up the octopus.
- Frozen carcasses are most often sold already cut and cook much faster than fresh ones.
- It is worth paying special attention to the size of the mollusk. Small individuals have more tender and tasty meat. Medium-sized individuals have more nutritious meat. Large specimens weighing more than 2 kilograms can taste like rubber.
- You need to carefully examine the appearance of the product. This is especially important when purchasing fresh shellfish. The carcass should be shiny and burgundy-brown in color, without bald spots.
- It is worth learning to understand the smell of the product. Octopus smells quite peculiar, but it is not a repulsive smell. But if there is an unpleasant smell of rotten fish, it is best to refuse the purchase.
- Small-sized individuals are mostly sold whole. Many experts recommend determining the freshness of shellfish by looking at the eyes. Transparent eyes indicate the freshness of the product. It is best not to buy a carcass that has black spots and torn skin. These characteristics indicate that the product is stale or that storage conditions are not met.
Octopus harm
Having learned about the benefits of marine meat, many begin to include it in their diet. But before buying octopuses, you should make sure that they are harmless. The greatest danger is posed by mercury compounds that may be contained in meat. They cause poisoning. An overdose of mercury can even lead to death.
Important! When purchasing, it is advisable to check the availability of certificates and conclusions from the sanitary and epidemiological station.
You need to monitor the freshness of seafood. If not frozen, they will spoil quickly. There will be no benefit from eating such octopuses. Even after heat treatment, they can cause poisoning.
Octopus in a frying pan. Fried octopus with lemon and garlic
An exquisite Mediterranean-style appetizer in the form of toasted octopus with aromatic additions will create a festive atmosphere and delight all seafood lovers. This is just the perfect appetizer for white sparkling wine.
It is best to cook quality seafood simply so as not to drown out its special taste. Likewise, an octopus doesn’t need much. Although, of course, if these are not small baby octopuses, they must first be boiled until soft. How to do this correctly, read the recipe for preparing octopus for further preparations.
This cooking method is also suitable for raw squid and shrimp. And lemon, garlic and parsley go well with all seafood and fish.
1) In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil, add the squid tentacles and fry for a minute on each side until nicely browned and crusted.
2) Add garlic, zest and salt to taste. Mix well, heating for another 1 minute.
3) Remove the pan from the heat, pour in lemon juice, stir and transfer to a serving plate. Pour the aromatic juices from the frying pan over the octopus and sprinkle with parsley.
Serve immediately!
Contraindications for octopus
Before including seafood in your daily diet, you must make sure there are no contraindications. There will be no benefit from octopus tentacles if they are consumed by a person who is prohibited from eating marine meat.
Contraindications include:
- individual intolerance;
- seafood allergies;
- ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract;
- diseases of the stomach, intestines, pancreas.
In case of these pathologies, it is better to refuse meat from octopus and other marine inhabitants. Their use can provoke a deterioration of the condition, an exacerbation of allergic reactions; in this case there will be no benefit.
Description
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The octopus is the most famous representative of cephalopods. The group received this name because of its short and soft body, which has an oval shape at the back. The product is very similar in taste and aroma to squid, but has a denser structure. In some countries, such as China and Japan, octopuses are eaten live. But as eyewitnesses say, in most cases such a dish is served to tourists as a way to attract attention.
The weight of an octopus ranges from 500 grams to 40 kilograms.
Not only octopus meat is eaten, but also its tentacles, mantle, and so on. The product can be boiled, smoked, fried or dried. In some recipes, octopuses are stuffed with various fillings and baked in the oven. Before moving on to the calorie content of octopus, we will consider its composition and beneficial properties.
Rules for eating octopus
It is recommended to include octopus meat in the menu only after heat treatment. Cephalopods can be consumed raw when they have just been caught. Otherwise, there is a high risk of poisoning.
Nutritionists recommend including octopus in the menu 2-3 times a week, 200-300 g each. This amount is enough to obtain all the necessary substances and achieve maximum benefits.
To get the maximum benefit from cephalopods, it is recommended to include them in the diet every 2-3 days; eating 200-300 g per day is enough.
Before cooking, shellfish meat must be defrosted at room temperature and washed to remove mucus, cut the carcass, removing the eyes, ink sac and beak. From large specimens the skin should be scraped off with a knife; from small octopuses it is removed after heat treatment.
Boil, stew or fry these shellfish for about 7-10 minutes. Longer heat treatment leads to the fact that the meat becomes tough, although the benefits from it will be no less.
General information about seafood
Without going into the anatomical details of the invertebrate, the strange creature can be described as follows: head-body with tentacles. At the point where the tentacles converge there is a mouth equipped with two powerful jaws that are very similar to the beak of a parrot.
Where do octopuses live
These are all seas and oceans located in tropical and subtropical latitudes. Moreover, they are found both in shallow water and at depths from 100 m to 150 m. Thanks to the elastic body, the mollusk can climb into a gap disproportionate to its usual dimensions. In the Far East, young animals hide in empty scallop shells. Lives 1 – 3 years, but in nature there are long-livers reaching 5 years of age.
Cephalopod tentacles
They deserve special attention, since even an erudite person, when asked how many tentacles an octopus has, will not always give a quick, accurate answer. In addition, this part of the shellfish is most often used in cooking. The number of octopus tentacles is 8 pieces. Depending on the type of cephalopod, the length of the tentacle varies from a few centimeters to a couple of meters. For example, Doflein's octopuses boast 3-meter tentacles.
Fact! On average, the size and weight of octopuses are not impressive - up to 4 meters in length and weighing several tens of kilograms. In cooking, 1- and 2-kg individuals are most often used. However, the Doflein invertebrates mentioned above reach 9.5 meters with a mass of 270 kg - this is the size of the largest octopus known to science.
Suitable Products
Octopus in brine
675 rub. for 1 piece (retail)
Packaging: 200 g
Order
Applications of octopus
Small and large shellfish can be pickled, boiled, baked, stewed, fried. They go well with vegetables, rice, and other seafood. You can improve the taste of the finished dish by lightly beating the meat first and adding soy sauce, olive oil or wine vinegar when cooking.
Octopus can be served as an independent dish or used as an ingredient in seafood soup or salad. This cooking method is popular:
- a washed and cleaned carcass weighing 500 g is cut into pieces;
- each part is rolled in flour;
- Place the slices in a frying pan with hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes;
- add 80 g of butter, 4 tbsp. to the processed meat. l. cream, 3 chopped garlic cloves, salt, spices and 100 ml of water;
- The products are mixed and left to simmer under the lid for 5 minutes.
You can serve octopus made according to this recipe with rice or vegetables.
Cooking recipes with octopus
Octopuses in wine
For 1 kg of octopus, take a small glass of dry red wine, a tablespoon of tomato paste, 1 white onion, and ground black pepper on the tip of a knife.
First, the octopuses are cleaned, washed, cut, then placed in a frying pan, poured with wine and stewed until the alcohol evaporates. Then add more water, add onion and tomato paste, and simmer until done. The dish is served with cold olive oil, into which the juice of half a lemon is squeezed.
Octopus with red beans
800 g of frozen mini-octopuses (this is about 400-500 when defrosted). 1 cup of red beans, white onion, a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste, optional olive oil, basil, carrots and onions, a glass of vegetable broth.
Octopus can be thawed separately or steamed directly from frozen. The beans must be soaked overnight and boiled separately. Heat the pasta and vegetables in a frying pan with olive oil to create a sauce. Beans and octopuses are added to it, stirred, a glass of broth is poured in and simmered until the water evaporates.
Baked Potatoes with Seafood
A kilogram of regular white potatoes, thyme, ground black pepper, nutmeg and basil, as well as olive oil to taste, 800 g of frozen mini octopus, and 1 onion.
Cook the octopuses by throwing them into boiling water along with the onions. Cut the potatoes into halves, sprinkle with oil, sprinkle with spices and bake in the oven preheated to 180 degrees. Sprinkle the finished octopuses with lemon juice, you can add a little dill to them, serve about 2 potatoes and 150 g of seafood per serving.
