Tako “escargot” Recipe

Prepare and simmer octopus

Rinse the cleaned octopus under cold water. In a large pot, combine water, white wine, bay leaves, peppercorns, coarse salt, and the halved lemon (squeezed into the pot, then add the halves). Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

Once simmering, hold the octopus by the head and dip the tentacles into the simmering liquid three times (this helps curl the tips), then fully submerge. Reduce heat to low so the liquid barely simmers. Cover partially and simmer gently until the octopus is tender when pierced with a skewer — about 45–60 minutes for a 1 kg octopus (check at 40 minutes).

When tender, remove octopus from the liquid and let cool slightly on a cutting board. Reserve 250 ml of the cooking liquid for later use in sauce if desired. Pat the octopus dry with paper towels. Trim head if desired and cut tentacles into 4–6 cm pieces, keeping a few whole smaller tentacles for presentation.

Make the parsley butter

While the octopus simmers, combine the softened butter, finely chopped parsley, minced shallot, minced garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, white pepper, and sea salt in a bowl. Mix thoroughly with a fork until fully incorporated and smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Transfer the butter onto plastic wrap, form into a log (about 4–5 cm diameter), wrap tightly, and chill in the refrigerator until firm, at least 30 minutes. Keep a few tablespoons of the butter at room temperature for immediate use when plating if you prefer it softer for spooning over grilled octopus.

Prepare and grill bread

Slice the loaf into 1.5–2 cm thick slices. Brush both sides lightly with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium-high. Grill the bread slices 1–2 minutes per side until pronounced grill marks appear and the bread is crisp but still slightly tender inside. Remove and keep warm.

Char the octopus

Heat the grill pan or a hot skillet until very hot and brush lightly with oil. Add the octopus pieces in a single layer and sear 1–2 minutes per side until lightly charred and slightly blistered. If you reserved cooking liquid, brush a little onto the octopus before searing to reintroduce moisture and flavor.

Finish the seared octopus by placing a small dollop (about 1 tsp) of chilled parsley butter atop each piece so it melts from residual heat, or spoon softened parsley butter over the pieces. Arrange grilled bread on plates, place octopus atop or alongside the bread, and spoon any melted butter over the octopus and bread.

Garnish with finely chopped parsley, microgreens if using, and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over. Serve immediately while warm.