Using liquid nitrogen for tenderizing octopus?

I recently had an idea to try and rapidly break down the "rubberizing" connective tissues in octopus using a different method than the tried and true boiling or hammering. It is well known that freezing will cause cell ruptures but ordinary home freezing probably would be too destructive for octopus, so I was thinking about liquid nitrogen since it creates smaller ice crystals due to the rapid temperature change. I have never worked with LN and I would hate to try this as my first experiment with it so I was hoping maybe someone who does use LN may have tried this (or would be willing to try this) to see if it makes the octopus more tender. I am thinking maybe the octopus should be well hydrated before the freeze, and then immediately cooked afterwards to force the cell ruptures.

Best Answer

The most delicious octopus I've ever eaten was tenderized by freezing first for a couple of days and then letting it sit at room temperature for a couple of days. Then it was baked with onion, salt and coconut cream. The smell while it was baking was unbelievably ... organic? Okay, it smelled like boiling jockstraps. I think it wouldn't work for people with delicate stomachs, but for people who still have the gut flora to handle naturally macerated meats, the octopus was soft and tender and the flavor was incredible.