Greek · Free recipe
Charred Grilled Octopus
A long, gentle simmer turns tough octopus meltingly tender, then a blazing grill adds smoky char and crisp tentacle tips. Finished with good olive oil, lemon, oregano, and capers, it has the easy, salty feel of a seaside taverna lunch.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 30 min
- Total
- 1 hr 50 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Hard
Method
-
Put the octopus in a large pot with the onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, and all but 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, cover, and set over medium-low heat; the octopus will release its own liquid, so add no water.
-
Simmer gently, covered, for 60 to 75 minutes until a paring knife slides into the thickest part of a tentacle with almost no resistance, then let it cool in its liquid for 15 minutes.
-
Cut off the tentacles, discard the head or reserve it for another use, and pat the tentacles completely dry.
-
Toss the tentacles with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the grated garlic, and a pinch of pepper while you heat a grill or grill pan to high, around 500F.
-
Grill the tentacles for 3 to 4 minutes per side, pressing them lightly with tongs, until charred in spots and the thin tips turn crisp.
-
Whisk the remaining olive oil and vinegar with the lemon zest, lemon juice, and oregano, then toss the hot octopus with the dressing and capers, slice into chunks if you like, and finish with flaky salt.
Zest note from the test kitchen
Frozen octopus is often more tender than fresh, because freezing breaks down the muscle fibers before you even start cooking.
