Tender Grilled Octopus

The secret to tender grilled octopus is baking it first in slow oven then after seasoning with marinade, grilling it over hot coals till it’s charred and crispy on the edges. 

After several years of little of no octopus sighting in the Channel Islands, this summer they are back with a vengeance. According to the lovely ladies we buy seafood from, they are crafty and clever and somehow manage to get into the crab and lobster traps to eat anything caught in there, leaving only the shells behind. 

It's gotten so dire that the local newspaper has printed articles urging us to eat more octopus! Not that we need any encouragement, but we are delighted to do our part. 

Tender Grilled Octopus 

Where to buy octopus? When we are in Houston, we buy fresh octopus at HMart. We especially like the baby ones. 

Ingredients

2 3/4 lbs or 1.25kg octopus or a portion thereof (I had two tentacles and partial head.)

1 whole head garlic

3 bay leaves

3 sprigs of thyme

1 chili pepper

6 oz or 177ml white wine

For the marinade before grilling:

Several sprigs parsley, stems removed

1 roasted pimento (piccante)

2 cloves garlic

Juice 1/2 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)

½ teaspoon flaked sea salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

Preheat your oven to 300°F or 150°C.

Rinse the octopus in cold water. Put the bulb of garlic sliced in half, the bay leaves, thyme, chili pepper and white wine in a baking pan. 

Put the octopus on top. 

Cover and seal with aluminum foil and then place in the preheated oven and cook for one hour. Test with a fork for tenderness.

Trim tender parts off (usually the skinnier bits) and put the rest back in for another 30 minutes.

Once the octopus is cooked, remove from the tray and leave to cool. 

Separate the octopus tentacles, cutting them in half if they are very large, and cut the head into large pieces. You want pieces that are too large to fall through the grill but that are small enough to turn and manage on the grill. 

In a food processor, make a paste from the parsley, pimento, chopped garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. 

Pour the paste over the octopus and stir to coat. 

Light a charcoal fire. When the coals are red hot and turning grey, place the octopus on the grate. 

Cook for about 10 minutes, covering the grill if need be, turning the octopus regularly so that it gets lovely charred bits and lots of smoke flavor. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are celebrating National Grilling Month. Many thanks to our host, Camilla from Culinary Cam. Check out the links below. 

• Grilled Stuffed Squid by Culinary Cam
• Grilled Tandoori Chicken by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Leftover Grilled Chicken Patties by Sneha's Recipe
• Neapolitan Pizza by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Tender Grilled Octopus by Food Lust People Love

 

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