Ingredients
8 octopus tentacles, cooked (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 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
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 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