Mediterranean Style Octopus Recipe

Tenderize and Simmer Octopus

Rinse the octopus under cold water. In a large pot combine 3 liters water, 200 ml white wine, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon peppercorns and 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt. Bring to a gentle boil. Holding the octopus by the head, dip the tentacles into the simmering liquid three times (this helps curl the tips), then fully submerge. Reduce heat to low so the liquid simmers gently. Cover and simmer for 45–60 minutes, or until the thickest part of a tentacle is easily pierced with a skewer. Timing varies by size; check at 40 minutes.

When done, remove the octopus and let cool slightly on a rack. Reserve 200 ml of the cooking liquid. Trim the beak and the eyes if your octopus has them. Pat the octopus dry with paper towels.

Marinate Before Grill

In a bowl combine 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, minced garlic, zest and juice of 1 lemon, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper and 1 tsp coarse sea salt. Whisk in 2–3 tbsp of the reserved warm cooking liquid to loosen. Rub this marinade over the octopus and let sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes (or refrigerate up to 2 hours).

Preheat a grill or grill pan to high heat (220–240°C / 430–465°F). Brush the octopus lightly with additional olive oil just before grilling.

Grill Octopus

Grill the octopus over high direct heat 2–3 minutes per side to get good char and blistering, turning to char the tentacles and head evenly. Remove and rest for 5 minutes, then slice into 1.5–2 cm pieces on a bias.

Prepare vegetables: slice the eggplant into 1/2-inch rounds, halve the zucchini lengthwise, quarter the red pepper, thinly slice the red onion and rough-chop the tomatoes.

Grill Vegetables

Brush eggplant, zucchini and red pepper lightly with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt. Grill over medium-high heat until nicely charred and tender, about 3–4 minutes per side for zucchini and eggplant, 6–8 minutes for pepper. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly.

Make Caponata

Dice or roughly chop the grilled eggplant, zucchini and red pepper into bite-sized pieces. In a skillet over medium heat add 1 tbsp olive oil and sweat the sliced red onion 3–4 minutes until translucent. Add the chopped grilled vegetables and chopped tomatoes, then add 2 tbsp capers (rinsed), 8 halved green olives, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt. Cook, stirring, 5–7 minutes to marry flavors and reduce slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and let cool to warm temperature.

Boil Potatoes

Place purple potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water about 2 cm above potatoes. Add 1 tsp coarse sea salt and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced, 12–18 minutes depending on size.

Drain well, return to the pot off the heat, add 1 tbsp butter and gently toss to coat. Keep warm and season with a little additional salt if needed. Optionally, slice in half for plating and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Blend Crema

In a blender or food processor combine 1 cup packed parsley leaves, 120 g Greek yogurt, 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 small garlic clove, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Purée until smooth. If too thick, add up to 1 tbsp water or reserved warm cooking liquid to reach a spoonable but pourable consistency. Taste and adjust lemon and salt.

Transfer to a squeeze bottle or bowl for plating.

Warm plates. Spoon a generous smear or pool of crema di parsley where the octopus will sit. Place a portion of the warm caponata next to the crema. Arrange 3–4 slices of grilled octopus over the crema and caponata. Add 3–4 halved purple potatoes beside the octopus.

Drizzle with remaining extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle flaky sea salt over the octopus, add a few lemon wedges and scatter microgreens or baby arugula. Serve immediately.