Marinated and grilled octopus
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- plus cooling and marinating
- Easy
- Serves 4 as a sharing dish
Ingredients
- 1 whole (about 1.5kg) octopus
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 stick celery, chopped
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 250ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 125ml white wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp dried oregano, plus a pinch more
- 1/2 lemon
- sea salt flakes
Method
- STEP 1
Wash the octopus well under cold running water. If not prepped already, remove the beak, ink sac and eyes, or ask the fishmonger to do it for you. Put into a large pan with the bay, onion, carrot, celery and peppercorns.
- STEP 2
Pour over cold water, until the octopus is covered. Cover with an upside down saucer if it won’t completely submerge. Bring to a boil, and simmer gently with the lid on for 1 – 1½ hours. Check after 1 hour by testing one of the tentacles with a knife. It should easily go through without much resistance. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool completely in the liquid.
- STEP 3
Drain the cooled octopus and cut into bite-size pieces. Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, garlic and oregano in a large bowl with some salt. Add the octopus pieces, and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- STEP 4
Heat a griddle pan to high, and drain the octopus from the marinade. Sear the pieces for 2-3 minutes until heated through and starting to crisp and char. Transfer to a serving plate and sear the remaining pieces. Squeeze over the lemon, add a pinch more oregano and a little sea salt to serve.
