This easy Greek-style Grilled Octopus Recipe is fast and simple and brings all the flavors of the Mediterranean to your doorstep, no passport required.
Octopus is big business in Portugal where I live, as well as Spain and across the Mediterranean. Nearly every restaurant in my seaside village serves their own house specialty octopus dish. It's always tender and flavorful and served with baby potatoes and steamed veggies on the side.
For this Greek version, I've created an herb vinaigrette sauce with all those lemony, fresh herb and red wine vinegar notes we love. Since you're already firing up the grill (or grill pan), throw some parboiled potatoes on there to serve alongside the main dish. Potatoes love the herbaceous sauce, too! For more Greek seafood, try my Greek Marinated Salmon Steaks next.
This Grilled Octopus Recipe is the perfect summer seafood for grilling, along with Chargrilled Oysters Recipe and Grilled Tuna Steaks.
Can you grill octopus without boiling it first?
I don't recommend grilling raw octopus, as the meat will not tenderize in the short time required on the grill. For this recipe, I'm using two packages of cooked and cleaned octopus that equal 8 tentacles. The meat has already been poached, so it is ready to season and grill. If you're starting with raw octopus, I have included cooking instructions in the notes section of the printable recipe card, below.
Is grilled octopus tough?
Since we're using cooked octopus as a starting point in this grilled octopus recipe, your final dish should be very tender, with a bit of crispy char on the outside.
Octopus has a lot of connective tissue that makes it tough or chewy. So if you're using raw octopus, the goal in the first stage of poaching the octopus is to soften those tissues and create a tender piece of seafood that will grill up in minutes.
What you'll need to make this recipe:
Full ingredient measurements included in the printable recipe card below.
How to Make This Recipe:
1. Make Greek herb vinaigrette
Combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, lemon juice, fresh parsley, dried oregano (Greek oregano, if you can find it!) and red chili flakes.
I love grilling cut lemons for a few minutes over the fire and using the grilled lemons in this dressing. But fresh lemons work well, too. Taste the vinaigrette and adjust seasoning. Set aside.
2. Prep octopus
Drizzle olive oil over chilled, poached tentacles, then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
3. Cook octopus
Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high. If grilling lemons, potatoes or other vegetables to serve with the octopus, add them to the grill, as well.
Grill tentacles for 3-5 minutes - just long enough to char the edges of the tentacles and heat them through. (I made this recipe on a recent trip to Madeira and it was so much fun cooking with live fire! But this recipe also works on a grill pan on your stovetop.)
4. Garnish and serve
Once tentacles are charred, transfer them to your serving dish and drizzle vinaigrette over the entire plate.
Serve with grilled potatoes and grilled lemon wedges.
Note: if starting with a raw octopus, see notes on recipe card below for cooking the octopus before grilling instructions above.
FAQ's and Serving Suggestions:
Most local cooks who have worked with octopus all their life recommend freezing a fresh octopus before cooking to ensure you have a really tender octopus for your final dish. The freezing process breaks down the tough fibers in the octopus, which results in a tender, flavorful grilled tentacle. For this reason, I like to buy either frozen whole octopus, or the poached (and chilled) octopus tentacles I used in this recipe. I've included instructions for both in the recipe card, so you'll be set either way!
I love serving Greek grilled octopus with a pile of grilled potatoes and a big Mediterranean tossed salad. Throw some feta cheese and kalamata olives on the greens and you'll have yourself a proper Greek salad! If you prefer rice, this Lemon Dill Basmati would be delicious with the grilled main dish. And you really need to serve it with some delicious Garlic Bread or grilled pitas for soaking up all the sauce.
Bring a large pot of water to boil with enough water to fully cover the octopus. Add one onion, cut in half, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 2 bay leaves, 10-15 peppercorns and 1 tablespoon of salt. (I've read a lot about an old Italian method of adding corks to the poaching liquid as a method of tenderizing. Like our friends at Serious Eats, I haven't found any additional value in this strategy. Freezing before poaching is my go-to method, and I leave the cork in the wine bottle.)
Once the water comes to a boil, add the octopus and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook the octopus for about an hour. Timing will vary depending on the size of your seafood. A knife should pierce the tentacles with minimal resistance. Drain the octopus and let it cool, then refrigerate.
For grilling, I like to cut the octopus in half, so I have four tentacles on each side - that's a good size to manage on a hot grill. If cooking on an indoor grill pan, feel free to cut into 2-tentacle octopus pieces or whatever works best for you.
Yes! This is a delicious dish either as a main course, or a starter. If serving as a starter, I recommend cutting the tentacles into smaller, bite-sized pieces and serving them in a dish of the Greek vinaigrette. If you're presenting them as part of a buffet, include toothpicks so your guests can easily dish out a few pieces.
For a south-of-the-border twist, try Octopus Ceviche!
And check out my Mediterranean Charcuterie Board post for more ways to serve grilled octopus!
To store, wrap grilled octopus tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours. If you leave it soaking in the vinaigrette, it will be even more delicious on the second day.
Simple Greek Grilled Octopus Recipe
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3-4
Ingredients
8 octopus tentacles, cooked (about 1 ½ pounds total)
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus grilled lemons for serving
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, diced
2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon red chili flakes
Instructions
- Make the Greek herb vinaigrette by combining olive oil, red vinegar, garlic, lemon and all the spices and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.
- Drizzle olive oil over tentacles, then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
- Preheat grill or grill pan to medium high. Grill tentacles for 3-5 minutes - just long enough to char the edges of the tentacles and heat them through. If grilling potatoes or other vegetables to serve with the octopus, add them to the grill, as well. I like to grill a halved lemon to squeeze over the entire dish when serving.
- Once lightly charred and warmed through, transfer grilled tentacles to a serving dish and drizzle homemade Greek vinaigrette over the entire plate. Serve with grilled potatoes and grilled lemon wedges.
Notes
Note: To prepare a raw, fresh octopus for the grill, ask your fishmonger to clean the octopus for you when you purchase. If buying frozen octopus, the freezing process works as a tenderizing method, so that is my preference if buying raw. If you've purchased fresh octopus, freeze the cleaned octopus for a day or two before preparing.
Bring a large pot of water to boil with enough water to fully cover the octopus. Add one onion, cut in half, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 2 bay leaves, 10-15 peppercorns and 1 tablespoon of salt. (I've read a lot about an old Italian method of adding corks to the poaching liquid as a method of tenderizing. Like our friends at Serious Eats, I haven't found any additional value in this strategy. Freezing before poaching is my go-to method, and I leave the cork in the wine bottle.)
Once the water comes to a boil, add the octopus and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook the octopus for about an hour. Timing will vary depending on the size of your seafood. A knife should pierce the tentacles with minimal resistance. Drain the octopus and let it cool completely, then refrigerate.
For grilling, I like to cut the octopus in half, so I have four tentacles on each side - that's a good size to manage on a hot grill. If cooking on an indoor grill pan, feel free to cut into 2-tentacle octopus pieces or whatever works best for you.
From here, pick up the recipe instructions above.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Easy Recipes
- Method: Grill or Stove Top
- Cuisine: Greek
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅓
- Calories: 521
- Sugar: 0.3 g
- Sodium: 1300.6 mg
- Fat: 39.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.7 g
- Protein: 34.3 g
- Cholesterol: 108.8 mg
christina toth
This looks amazing — and not beyond my skill set! Have been looking for a recipe and will definitely try this out!
Christina
It's so much easier than I expected! You're going to knock it out of the park...let me know what you think!
Sharon Garofalow
I have always wanted to try making octopus at home! Pinning this for next time I'm feeling adventurous!
Noelle
Yum! Came out great.
Christina Jolam
Great to hear, Noelle! Thanks for the great review. So glad you enjoyed the Greek Octopus.
Peter Allen
Fantastic result from following this recipe.
The great news is that buying the octopus shown means it is already cooked and can be eaten as is.. so anything you do is an improvement! 5 minutes under the grill in my case with the par-boiled potatoes.
The vinaigrette really enhanced the grilled octopus, especially with the addition of the lemon. I shall certainly be doing this again. Muito obrigado, Christina! Peter
Christina Jolam
Love hearing this, Peter! It really is shockingly easy to make and such a stunner on the plate. Appreciate you coming back to leave such a helpful review.
Tracy
A wonderful recipe. The only thing different that I did was use a Blackstone instead of a grill, and then once the octopus was completed, I sliced it and mixed it with the marinade before serving.
Christina Jolam
Sounds like the perfect modification, Tracy! Three cheers for the Blackstone. Great to hear you loved it - appreciate you coming back to leave a helpful review!
Dilia Gonsalves
You've chosen the right country to live Cristina, if seafood is your passion.
Polvo á lagareiro is my favourite dish in Portugal. May it be in Portugal, or Greece, Octopus, if properly cooked, is right at the top of my list.
Your recipe' is spot on
Christina Jolam
Oh, I love hearing this, Dilia. Thanks so much for your kind comment. The food here in Portugal has been the most delicious adventure!