Buying and lighting calculator · Fish and seafood

How much octopus do I buy and when do I light?

Octopus is sold whole and cleaned, usually as a piece of around 2 kg, though some run past 3. It is mostly water: cooking shrinks it by 40 to 55 percent, so for 170 g on the plate we buy about 310 g raw per person. If you find it already cooked, 170 g is enough. On the kamado it braises in a pan with a little liquid and the lid closed at about 150 °C: a 2 kg piece needs close to 100 minutes until tender. Then it gets a couple of minutes over fierce coals, only for crust and smoke. An octopus over 3 kg is best split into two pieces so it cooks evenly.

How to ask for it

For 4 people: Ask for 1.5 kg of whole, cleaned octopus (no beak or innards); frozen is fine, and often more tender.

Octopus loses almost half its weight as water when cooked: 310 g raw leaves about 170 g on the plate. a skewer slides into the thick part of an arm with no resistance.

How we calculate it

We start from a reasonable cooked portion (about 200 g of meat on the plate, 170 g of cleaned fish) and convert it to raw weight using each cut's bone and trim loss. "Hungry" adds 25 %. We round up to what is actually sold: quarter kilos, whole pieces, units.

To the cook time (per kilo or per piece, at each method's temperature) we add the kamado's lighting and stabilising (20-45 min depending on the method, as on the recipe pages), the rest, and a margin for long cooks, which vary from one piece to the next. Times are approximate: your kamado, the wind and the charcoal decide; on big cuts, trust the probe.

Frequently asked questions

How much octopus per person?

For 170 g of cooked octopus on the plate, buy about 310 g raw per person. If you buy it already cooked, 170 g is enough. A raw 2 kg octopus feeds about 6 people. Adjust upwards if the octopus is the only dish on the table.

How long does a 2 kg octopus take in the kamado?

Count on close to 100 minutes in a pan with a little liquid, at about 150 °C with the lid closed. Boiled in a pot it is usually quicker, around 45 minutes. Prick the thick part of an arm: if it goes in with no resistance, it is done. Rest it about 10 minutes covered, then sear it for a couple of minutes over high heat.

How much weight does octopus lose when cooked?

Between 40 and 55 percent of its weight, depending on size and method. A raw kilo therefore ends up at around 550 g cooked. We use 45 percent, within that range for a piece of about 2 kg. If you buy it already cooked, skip the loss and count 170 g per person.

Other Fish and seafood cuts

← All cuts

Approximate figures. Sources and the portion rule are in "How we calculate it".