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Try this deep-fried salt and pepper octopus

<p>Time to prepare 40 mins | Cooking Time 2 mins | Serves 6</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Never cooked octopus at home? Try this easy entrée recipe today!</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Deep-frying, when done properly, is a great way to cook seafood. It’s fast, cooking most foods in a few minutes, it quickly seals the food’s surface, locking in flavour and moisture and it adds appealing crunch, colour and aroma.</span></p> <p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">1kg baby octopus, cleaned and cut into small pieces </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">2 tablespoons fish sauce </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">2 tablespoons lemon juice </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">1 tablespoon crushed coriander seeds </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">2 tablespoons salt flakes, crushed </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">1 tablespoon crushed white peppercorns </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">2 cups tapioca starch </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vegetable oil, for deep-frying</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>Directions</strong></p> <p>1. Place octopus, fish sauce and lemon juice in a bowl and marinate for 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry.</p> <p>2. Place chilli, coriander, salt, pepper and cornflour in a large freezer bag, add the octopus and shake well to coat. Place octopus in a colander and shake well to remove excess flour.</p> <p>3. Heat oil in a wok or deep-fryer to 190ºC. Add octopus and cook for 1-2 minutes, until crisp and tender.</p> <p><strong>Tips</strong></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alternative species: Calamari, cuttlefish, squid, green prawns (peeled and deveined).  </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Season: Available year round. </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">To Buy: When purchasing fresh whole Octopus look for intact bright skin, intact head and arms, and a pleasant fresh sea smell. </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">To Store: Make sure Octopus is gutted and cleaned thoroughly. Wrap in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months below -18ºC.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Republished with permission of </span><a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/recipes/deep-fried-salt-and-pepper-octopus.aspx"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wyza.com.au.</span></a></p>

Food & Wine

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Rare giant octopus spotted near far north Queensland

<p>A mystery giant creature was sighted near Great Detached Reef in Far North Queensland.</p> <p>Marine experts have now confirmed that the creature was in fact a giant octopus.</p> <p>Great Barrier Reef Legacy, the Reef’s only independent research vessel, shared a photo of the giant creature to Instagram and share some interesting trivia about the species.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 30.324074074074076% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bbc7wuZg2Yw/" target="_blank">A post shared by Great Barrier Reef Legacy (@gbrlegacy)</a> on Nov 13, 2017 at 2:24pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“This HUGE octopus was seen at the surface being circled by several large whaler sharks before it descended back into the deep,” the post wrote.</p> <p>“@bungiehelicopters who took the photo was put in contact with Great Barrier Reef Legacy scientists to help confirm what they had found up near Great Detached Reef in the far north. With the help of Dr Julian Finn of Museum Victoria the animal has been tentatively identified as a Blanket Octopus or a Tremoctopus with this female estimated to be at least 1.4m long.”</p> <p>“Amazingly the male of the species grows only to 2.4cm making this species the winner when it comes to size differences between sexes!”</p> <p>The post by Great Barrier Reef Legacy explained that the team will be heading to the same location for the “Search for the Super Corals” expedition.</p> <p>The team said that will definitely keep their eyes open for any more sightings of the huge octopus.</p> <p>It just goes to show how little we really know about the Great Barrier Reef.</p> <p>Have you ever visited the Great Barrier Reef? Share your experience with us in the comments below. </p>

Cruising

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Inky the octopus makes daring aquarium escape

<p>In something that seems like a scene from <em>Finding Nemo</em>, an octopus has made an escape from the National Aquarium of New Zealand, breaking out of its tank before sliding down a 50 metre drainpipe before eventually disappearing into the sea.</p> <p>Inky, who is a common New Zealand octopus, was given an inch and took a mile when he found out his aquarium door was left slightly ajar overnight.</p> <p>But as you see in the pictures below, Inky’s escape was no walk (or slide) in the park.</p> <p><img width="500" height="624" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/18554/octopus-in-text-_500x624.jpg" alt="Octopus In Text -" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p> </p> <p>Rob Yarrell, national manager of the National Aquarium of New Zealand said, “Octopuses are famous escape artists. But Inky really tested the waters here. I don’t think he was unhappy with us, or lonely, as octopus are solitary creatures. But he is such a curious boy. He would want to know what’s happening on the outside. That’s just his personality.”</p> <p>Inky was brought to the aquarium by a local fisherman a number of years ago. </p> <p>According to Mr Yarrell, Inky  was an “unusually intelligent” octopus.</p> <p>Mr Yarrell said, “He was very friendly, very inquisitive, and a popular attraction here. We have another octopus, Blotchy, but he is smaller than Inky, and Inky had the personality.”</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/02/vintage-photos-capture-pure-innocence-of-children/">Vintage photos capture the pure innocence of children</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/02/how-to-bring-up-a-happy-child/">22 tips for bringing up a happy child</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/02/heartwarming-photos-that-prove-every-child-needs-a-pet/">15 heartwarming photos that prove every child needs a pet</a></em></strong></span></p>

News

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Scientists discover ghostlike octopus

<p>Scientists in Hawaii may have discovered a new species of octopus.</p> <p>In the video above we see footage taken by an exploratory vessel for the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, which found the creature while collecting geological samples in the Hawaiian Archipelago on the northeast side of Necker Island.</p> <p>The vehicle was exploring depths of 4,000 metres when it discovered the octopus.</p> <p>“It is almost certainly an undescribed species and may not belong to any described genus,” wrote Michael Vecchione of the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service.</p> <p>“This animal was particularly unusual because it lacked the pigment cells, called chromatophores, typical of most cephalopods, and it did not seem very muscular.</p> <p>“This resulted in a ghostlike appearance, leading to a comment on social media that it should be called Casper, like the friendly cartoon ghost.”</p> <p>Check out the creature in the video above.</p> <p>It just goes to show you that there’s still so much we don’t know about what’s going on in the depths of the ocean.  </p> <p><em>Video credit: YouTube / Sarah Laskow</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/03/couple-give-60-million-lottery-away/"><strong>Couple gives $60 million lottery win away</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/03/find-letter-t-image-puzzle/"><strong>Can you find the letter “T” in this image?</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/03/stunning-images-antarctica-remote-beauty/"><strong>Stunning images of Antarctica’s remote beauty</strong></a></em></span></p> <p> </p>

News