Octopus Poke With Kimchi Recipe

By
J. Kenji López-Alt
Kenji Lopez Alt
J. Kenji López-Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
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Updated August 29, 2018
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J. Kenji López-Alt

Why It Works

  • Sweet onions provide flavor without pungency or heat.
  • Thinly slicing boiled octopus tames its rubbery texture.
  • Tossing the salad and letting it rest for just a few minutes before serving maximizes flavor development while retaining texture.

Octopus is tough in more ways than one. Sure, it's literally tough and requires some technique to make it palatable, but it's also tough in that it has no problem standing up to strongly flavored ingredients. Like kimchi. Octopus is great with kimchi.

Recipe Details

Octopus Poke With Kimchi Recipe

Active 10 mins
Total 10 mins
Serves 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces (340g) boiled octopus, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (see note)

  • 3 ounces (85g) sweet onion, such as Maui or Vidalia, cut into 1/4-inch dice

  • 1 scallion, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

  • 4 ounces (115g) kimchi, roughly chopped, plus 1 tablespoon (15ml) juice from the jar

  • 4 teaspoons (20ml) soy sauce, more or less to taste

  • 2 teaspoons (10ml) toasted sesame oil, more or less to taste

  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) honey, more or less to taste

  • Gochugaru (Korean chile flakes), to taste (see note)

  • Kosher salt

  • Steamed rice (if eating as a meal)

Directions

  1. Combine octopus, onion, scallion, kimchi and its juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and honey in a bowl and toss to combine. Season to taste with chile flakes and salt. Let stand 5 minutes at room temperature, then serve on its own or on top of steamed rice.

Notes

Boiled octopus can be found in most Japanese markets. If making from scratch, boil a large pot of salted water. Add octopus to the pot and cook until it's just cooked through to the center, about 10 minutes. Shock in ice water and chill thoroughly before slicing. Gochugaru (Korean chile flakes) can be found in any Korean grocery and most other Asian groceries.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
120Calories
3gFat
5gCarbs
18gProtein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories120
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g4%
Saturated Fat 0g2%
Cholesterol 54mg18%
Sodium 660mg29%
Total Carbohydrate 5g2%
Dietary Fiber 1g2%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 18g
Vitamin C 6mg31%
Calcium 72mg6%
Iron 6mg33%
Potassium 427mg9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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