Octosquid is still out of town, but let’s give a warm welcome to the next guest blogger, OctoSis (the one who bought macarons, not the one who ate at Mother Kelly’s):
Hi Octosquidlets! Even before this baby blog was born, Octosquid loved to look at pictures of food. So last summer, when OctoBrother-in-Law and I went on our honeymoon in Greece, I made sure to document many of the delectable meals we ate so I could share them with my sister. Today, I will share two of the more unusual ones with you, and it seems appropriate to ask — would you eat this?
The wedding diet is OVER.
On our first night in Athens, OctoBrother-in-Law dove right in and went for a big, juicy octopus. He was kind enough to let me taste it. Like most of the Greek delicacies we would come to know and love, the octopus was prepared simply — grilled with olive oil and seasoned with simple salt, pepper and other spices — to allow the succulence of the octopus meat to shine through. OctoBrother-in-Law recalls, “It was grilled nicely and was squishy on the inside. The suction cups were sticky on my tongue, and the olive oil had fresh citrus notes.” As you can see, it was served over a salad of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.
A few Greek islands later, I tried an adventurous meal of my own:
Way too good to be canned.
We were on the island of Naxos, dining Aegean Sea-side, so seafood was a no-brainer. This lunch of sardines was perfect! Grilled in olive oil and served over a bed of arugula, their flavor was reminiscent of whitefish. (As any self-respecting New York Jew knows, this is a good thing.) The fish meat was white in color and flaked easily off of the bone. The sardines were accompanied with a light vinaigrette and some lemon for the diner to use as desired. Since the best way to eat these little fishies was to use my hands to pull the meat off the bone, the lemon served an important second purpose of cleaning up my sardine-scented fingers when lunch was over.
Foreign slimy octopus and bony fish that require you to get your hands dirty — would you eat it? (I would. And did!)
Categories: Would You Eat This?
I’m heading out of town for the next week (Florida for pleasure and New York for work). Octosquid must live on during the interim, so please give a warm welcome to the guest bloggers that appear in the coming days. First up, we have Octosquid’s mom!
If you love seafood (and who doesn’t?), and you live near Hewlett, NY, then it’s definitely worth a trip to the Hewlett Fish Market. Here you can find a vast array of both fresh fish and seafood, as well as a plethora of delectable prepared salads, soups, main dishes, and vegetables.
Recently, I purchased some of my favorite “ready-mades” to have for lunch and/or snacking.
The marinated mussels are rich and flavorful – swimming in olive oil, loads of diced garlic, chopped scallions, and a touch of red pepper.
Savory specialty from the sea
The calamari salad is a particular favorite. Not only is it chock full of firm calamari rings, but there is always a multitude of yummy tentacles as well. The fish is dressed in a light garlicky vinaigrette, and combined with crunchy celery, sweet red pepper, and black olives.
What more could you want?
Picking out the best parts
While at the market, I decided to buy some fresh fish for dinner. After vacillating about the many tempting choices, I decided to go with the tried-and-true tilapia (St. Peter’s). At home I concocted a zesty marinade of olive oil, orange juice, ginger, tabasco sauce, salt and pepper. The fish rested and soaked up the marinade for about an hour.
Waiting to be fired
The fish was then grilled, and quickly devoured.
I may not be pretty, but I am delicious!
Hewlett Fish Market has been a mainstay in our family for years – I think it’s clear why!
Categories: Home Cookin' · new york
Tagged: calamari, hewlett fish market, new york, seafood, tilapia
Part 1
Part 2
captivated
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I had a special lunch planned with friends. We met in big, ‘ole New York City, and I had no idea that octopus would be in my future. It wasn’t until I was stared down by the menu item above that my meal fate was sealed.
We went to Beyoglu on Third Avenue and 81st Street; a short walk from their abodes. The waiters are friendly and the atmosphere is casual and laid back. The restaurant achieves it’s goal of transporting the diner into a lively, European meeting place. The decor is adorable, with tiled tabletops and an inviting bar at the entrance. There is some confusion about the type of food that is served at Beyoglu, but not of the quality. Whether you call it Turkish or Greek, the Mediterranean cuisine is top notch.
After sitting together and gabbing for a bit (as girls do), we noticed beautifully large rounds of bread delivered to each table. We instantly decided to share dips to put the bread to good use:
starting off right
Just look at that hunk of bread! It was soft and pillowy in the middle, with charred edges and sesame seeds on top. It was the absolute perfect vehicle for the fantastic dips. The hummus was made of chick peas & tahini seasoned w/ cumin & garlic. The portion was large and made for a cozy snack. I can’t seem to find the spinach dip on the online menu, but I remember it the taste well enough. It was chopped spinach topped with homemade yogurt and spices. There was garlic in there, maybe some shallots? We didn’t leave a bite of either one.
While the girls munched on gorgeous, fresh looking salads:
salad one
salad two
I opted for a protein-rich salad for myself:
my kinda salad
Listed as an appetizer on the menu, my main course at lunch was – Ahtapot Salatasi: char-grilled octopus marinated in olive oil & balsamic vinegar. The octopus didn’t exactly show any signs of ‘char’ or ‘grill’ but I have no complaints about the flavor and texture of my 8-legged friend. It was softer than the octopus at the
Greek Corner, but that’s just because of the lack of heavy grilling. With a sprinkling of lemon, the small salad was an excellent lunch for me!
Thanks friends, for picking an awesome place 
Beyoglu
1431 Third Ave.
at 81st St.
New York, NY 10028
212-650-0850
Categories: Group Fooding · new york
Tagged: greek food, greek yogurt, hummus, new york, new york restaurant, octopus, salad, spinach, vegetable, vegetables
