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Garlic & Zest

Gourmet Cooking at Home!

Grilled Octopus

Grilled Octopus
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Even if you’ve never handled fresh octopus before, this easy recipe will have you cooking it like a pro. This simple, healthy grilled octopus recipe tastes fresh and flavorful from the slow wine-cork braise and bright lemon garlic marinade. Makes a great dinner or appetizer.

 

two octopus.

I’ve been having a an extra-marital relationship.  With Twitter.  Specifically with someone (he/she — don’t know) who has been writing snappy little responses to some of my tweets.  A back and forth repartee began and it culminated in playing, “I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours.“

Get your mind out of the gutter, this isn’t 50 Shades!  I’m talking octopus!  At the same time I was prepping octopus for this post, my (still unknown) friend  was grilling his/her own octopi.   What are the odds???  We traded pictures of our finished dishes and agreed that we must get together sometime to discuss these sea monsters!  

 

dissecting the octopus

Funny thing is, this octopus has been on my to do list since Christmas, when I met a guest at my neighbor’s Christmas party who was particularly fond of my paté.  As we munched on chicken liver and sipped some cab,  we talked about cooking — which led to me sheepishly admitting to having a cooking blog.  He asked me if I had ever made octopus before.  I hadn’t.  But being adventurous — and saddled with the dubious title of “food blogger” — I told him I’d give it a try and report the results.  

 

octopus and vegetables in a pot.

I picked up two purplish cephalopods at the local fish market (super-fresh is the key to a good grilled octopus) and surveyed several different methods for preparing them.

When I told my Mom I was making octopus, she told me to give it a good beating.  Whaaa????  

“To tenderize it,” she told me.  

My grandfather  advised a long cooking time.  

My friend, Nola, asked if I was going to grill it.  Clearly, I had a lot of options.

adding corks to the pot.

Ingredients for grilled octopus:

  • Fresh octopus (or octopi)
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Parsley
  • Wine
  • Olive Oil
  • Wine Corks (real cork, not the plasticized version)
 

 

cooked octopus

There are essentially 3 steps to making grilled octopus. First, you have to tenderize it, then marinate and finally grill the octopus.

How to tenderize octopus

  1. Clean the octopus, remove the beak(s) and place them in a large, heavy pot or dutch oven.
  2. Add the vegetables, wine and corks.
  3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes to one hour.

Pretty simple so far, right?

marinating octopus.

Marinade ingredients:

  • Garlic
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • Lemon Zest
  • Fresh Parsley
  • Olive Oil

marinating octopus after a day.

Marinating octopus

  1. After the eight-legged creature has been tenderized, remove it from the pot and let it cool until you can safely handle the cephalopod without burning your fingers.
  2. Slough off the skin with your fingers by rubbing the tentacles. Bits of the outer dermis (is it called the dermis on an octopus?) will peel away.
  3. Place the octopus in a bowl with the marinade ingredients.
  4. Toss well to coat and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. 

 

grilling octopus

Grilling the octopus is pretty straightforward. It’s already been tenderized and seasoned, so you’re really just looking to get a nice smoky char on the legs. It doesn’t take long, but you may need to weight them down on the grill to give them a good opportunity to develop a crust. They should only take a few minutes to grill (2-3).

I served this simple grilled octopus with fresh lemon, parsley and red onion with charred garlic ciabatta bread as an appetizer, but you can have it for dinner with some simple sides too.

What to serve with grilled octopus:

 

  • Braised Kale with White Beans and Tomato
  • Edamame Quinoa Salad 
  • Curried Rice Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette
  • Mediterranean Style Fattoush Salad

Grilled Octopus on a plate.

Also check out this handy video on grilling octopus by Martha Stewart.  It takes you through the simple steps I’ve laid out in this post.

 

Grilled Octopus with a fork.

 

More fresh seafood recipes you might like: 

  • Ridiculously Simple Swordfish Steaks
  • Easy Grilled Shrimp with Pineapple Bourbon Glaze
  • Ahi Tuna Poke Appetizer
  • Fancy Baked Sea Scallops

 

Print Pin
3.65 from 20 votes

Grilled Octopus

Don't be afraid of this cephalopod!  The technique is easy and the end result is smoky, tender and delicious!
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword octopus, seafood
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 8 hours
Servings 8
Calories 234kcal

Ingredients

For the braise

  • 2 1/2 pounds octopus
  • 2 carrots roughly chopped
  • 1 stalk celery roughly chopped
  • 1/2 medium onion roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 3 sprigs parsley
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2-3 wine corks

For the marinade

  • 1 clove garlic thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 lemon zested
  • 1/4 cup parsley leaves torn
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

to serve

  • olive oil
  • lemon wedges
  • fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • red onion thinly sliced

Instructions

  • Rinse the octopus under cold water. Cut off the octopus body (that bulbous sac over the eyes) set aside. Remove the next part of the body -- the part with the eyes and discard, leaving just the tentacles. Flip the tentacles upside down and press the beak out of the opening at the center of the octopus. Discard the beak.
  • Place the octopus body and tentacles in a large pan or dutch oven. Add the carrots, celery, onion, crushed garlic, parsley, wine, olive oil and wine corks. Cover the pot tightly with a lid and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until octopus is firm but tender. Remove from heat. Place octopus on a platter and let cool.
  • When octopus is cool enough to handle, run your fingers over the body and tentacles and slough off the skin, it will come off in patches - be careful not to work the tentacles too hard, or they will break off.
  • Place body and tentacles in a large bowl. Add sliced garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, parsley leaves and olive oil. Using tongs or your hands, toss to coat the octopus. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.
  • Heat the grill to high heat, about 450 degrees. Sear the octopus on the grill, weighting it down with a heavy pan to achieve the best crust. Cook for 2-3 minutes and remove from grill. Cut off the tentacles and slice the body into 1/2-3/4" thick rounds.
  • Arrange octopus on a platter. Drizzle with olive oil and squeeze of lemon. Sprinkle with red onions and flat leaf parsley. Serve with additional lemon wedges.

Video

Notes

Slideshow of preparing octopus

Nutrition

Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 346mg | Potassium: 618mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3010IU | Vitamin C: 19.1mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 7.9mg

Pin “Grilled Octopus” For Later!

Want to know how to make octopus? This easy grilled octopus recipe gives step by step instructions w/a special tenderizing method! No pounding required. #octopus #grilledoctopus #howtocookoctopus #seafood #grilledseafood #winecorks #grillingseafood #grillingoctopus #pescatarian #grill #outdoorcooking #marinade #wine #healthyseafood

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Appetizers// Other// Outdoor Cooking// Seafood20 Comments

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Comments

  1. Denise McIntosh says

    January 2, 2021 at 8:32 PM

    Have always wanted to make grilled octopus the recipe sounds divine.
    Ive heard many stories of how tough it can be also which has put me off cooking this dish
    Ive see frozen ones where i live & now feel confident plus i have a few spare corks saved up

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      January 3, 2021 at 8:06 AM

      This is really tasty!

      Reply
  2. JEFF Calfa says

    April 12, 2020 at 5:37 PM

    This was awesome. Will definitely make again

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      April 13, 2020 at 7:56 AM

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jeff!

      Reply
  3. Jihn says

    August 24, 2019 at 10:50 PM

    Vietnamese markets in the US often have them frozen.

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      August 25, 2019 at 3:47 PM

      Yes and you can generally find them in reputable fish markets too.

      Reply
  4. Lysa says

    November 12, 2018 at 7:55 AM

    A very tasty dish. ideal for a light dinner. I used precooked octopus to save time, a little bit more expensive, but it worth.

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      November 12, 2018 at 8:32 AM

      I’ve never used pre-cooked octopus before — where did you find it? I’d like to give it a try.

      Reply
  5. Pamela says

    October 28, 2018 at 4:32 PM

    The Martha video uou refer to uses red wine but yours says white… is it by preference?

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      October 28, 2018 at 7:11 PM

      I prefer white wine with most seafood, so yes, it’s a preference.

      Reply
  6. Michelle Arnold says

    October 24, 2018 at 3:05 PM

    Have you ever used frozen if there are no fresh available?

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      October 24, 2018 at 8:19 PM

      I’ve never used frozen (but I live in South Florida where fresh seafood is widely available) but I don’t see why you couldn’t use frozen…

      Reply
  7. Jeb says

    August 27, 2018 at 7:03 PM

    How do the wine corks contribute to tenderness?

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      August 27, 2018 at 7:31 PM

      That’s an excellent question — and I have no earthly idea how it adds to tenderness — but when faced with several pounds of octopus and a reliable chef’s recipe (not to mention several readily available wine corks — I felt I had nothing to lose by using them! LOL!

      Reply
  8. Jolene says

    June 8, 2018 at 12:16 AM

    “6 hours or overnight” so does that mean I could cook and marinade Sunday night for Monday evening? Cuz that’s way more than 6 hours

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      June 8, 2018 at 7:22 AM

      Yes, you can definitely let it rest overnight — and that’s the way I do it.. the longer it marinates, the more flavor,

      Reply
  9. Lex says

    March 2, 2018 at 7:10 PM

    Hi Lisa, I’m making octopus tomorrow and googled”octopus recipe” and your article came up! I’ll let you know how it comes out.

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      March 3, 2018 at 8:14 AM

      That’s too funny, Lex! Good luck on it — it’s really very simple to make and I’m actually wanting to do it in another preparation soon. Got to find me another cephalopod!

      Reply
  10. Jenn says

    February 20, 2015 at 12:57 PM

    This is one dish I never thought to try making myself, which means it’s going on THE LIST (of things I’ll get around to trying eventually or in this case as soon as I can track down an octopus.) Any suggestions on where to find one?

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      February 20, 2015 at 1:09 PM

      a reputable fish monger!

      Reply

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Meet Lisa

Lisa

Calling all cooks! You don’t have to be a gourmet chef to get a delicious, healthy meal on the table! At Garlic & Zest, I’ll show you how to make hundreds of seasonal, fresh recipes and indulgent comfort foods with easy step-by-step instructions and photos to help you master the dish.

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