HeySolids
Choking risk
Octopus is a moderate choking risk. It turns rubbery and chewy unless it is cooked long enough, and stays safe only when it is cooked tender and cut down.
Cook it low and slow until tender, then chop or mince it finely so no chewy pieces are left. Take the suckers off the tentacles - they stay firm even when the rest is soft. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.
Allergens
Octopus is shellfish - the mollusk side of the family, a separate group from shrimp and crab - and shellfish is a common food allergen. There's no reason to delay it, though: waiting doesn't prevent allergies, and allergens can start alongside other solids from around 6 months.[1]
Fish and shellfish are separate allergens, and within shellfish, mollusks and crustaceans are separate groups too - so doing fine with salmon or even with shrimp doesn't tell you anything about octopus.
If your baby has severe eczema or an existing food allergy, check with your pediatrician before starting allergens.
Start with about 1/4 teaspoon of well-cooked, finely chopped octopus mixed into a familiar food, earlier in the day, not near bedtime. Wait 10 minutes, and if all looks well, carry on with the meal. Watch for a reaction over the next couple of hours. Build up gradually from there, and keep octopus - or another mollusk, like mussels or clams - in the diet a few times a week.[2]
If baby refuses
If the texture puts baby off, braise it until truly tender, then stir finely chopped octopus into rice, pasta, or a mild tomato sauce where it blends in.
Food safety
Never serve raw or undercooked octopus to a baby. Raw seafood can carry Vibrio bacteria and other organisms that cause food poisoning.[3] Buy it fresh or frozen from a source you trust, and cook it through until it is tender and hot all the way through.
Salt
Octopus is naturally salty - around 390 mg of sodium in a 3 oz portion, before anything is added to it. A baby's portion is much smaller than that, but it is a reason to keep octopus occasional rather than a regular food, and to keep the rest of the meal low in salt. Skip marinated and jarred octopus, which is saltier still. Don't add salt to food in the first 12 months, and keep it low through the toddler years.
How to serve
6+ months old
Finely chopped into a soft dish
Braise octopus low and slow until it is genuinely tender, then finely chop or mince it and stir it through a soft scoopable food like rice, pasta, or a mild tomato sauce. Check there are no firm, chewy pieces, and keep the portion small.
How to cook
Simmer or braise octopus gently in water or a sauce for about 1 to 2 hours until it is soft all the way through and steaming hot. Slow cooking is what makes it tender enough for a baby. Let it cool, then finely chop or mince before serving.
12+ months old
Small soft pieces in family meals
Strips about 1/2 inch, cut lengthwise
Offer tender pieces of well-cooked octopus mixed into family meals like paella, seafood rice, or pasta, and let your toddler practice with a fork. Cut the tentacles lengthwise into strips rather than across into rounds, so no piece is coin-shaped. Take the suckers off, and check there are no firm, chewy pieces left. Cook the dish without salt and season the grown-ups' bowls at the table.
How to cook
Simmer or braise octopus gently in water or a sauce for 1 to 2 hours, until it is soft all the way through. Slow cooking is what makes it tender. Skip grilled and fried octopus, which stays firm.