Octopus-Zourit

The octopus is an invertebrate animal that has eight tentacles and inhabits holes and cracks in corals. It is a master of disguise as it can change its shape and colour faster than the eye can perceive. The Seychellois are experts at catching octopus or tir zourit. They used to use two pointed sticks with which they spear the octopus from the cracks of the corals along the reefs. Now they use a small hand held harpoon with a barb at the end.

The octopus flesh should be springy and resilient to touch, and because it is dense and tough it therefore must be tenderised before use. Along the shores of the islands the usual method of tenderising is to beat the octopus with a piece of stick on the sand or beat it against a rock. Some people will boil the octopus with pieces of green pawpaw. This method is not very successful because the tenderising agent “papaine” is killed when heated.
A more modern method is to cook in a pressure cooker which makes the job less messy. The octopus usually suffers a dramatic weight reduction, with roughly 70% being lost during cooking.

To prepare the octopus, remove the beak, push the hood inside out and remove the digestive organs. The locals do not use the “ink ” in their cooking but they do use the skin as well as the suckers because this is where the flavour lies.