octopus

This Brazilian dish may contain a few unexpected or even unfamiliar ingredients, but they are easy to find online and worth the search. The result is a tropical fish stew mellowed by slices of plantain and coconut milk and accompanied by the traditional hot sauce called piri-piri and farofa, the toasted cassava-meal accompaniment. Farofa is served all over South America with all kinds of dishes; this version, with caramelized onions adapted from Felipe Amaral in Rio de Janeiro, was my favorite. You can serve the moqueca without the farofa, if you prefer, but it helps to sop up the soupy liquid from the stew.

Moqueca (Brazilian Fish Stew)

unsalted butter

onion,

black sea bass,

shrimp,

Salt

bay leaves

white turnip,

onions

plum tomatoes

shishito peppers, chopped

garlic

cilantro

chives

green plantain

red bell pepper,

green Cubanelle peppers, green frying peppers

coconut milk

red chile pepper,

long grain rice, steamed

Piri-piri or other hot sauce,

Make the farofa if desired: Melt butter in a skillet or shallow saucepan on medium heat. Add sliced onion, and cook, stirring, until it turns light brown. Stir in manioc and cook, stirring, 5 to 8 minutes, until it starts to toast. Cover and keep warm.

Make the fish broth: Cut each bass fillet in 4 or 5 pieces, cover and refrigerate. Place trimmings in a 3-quart stovetop casserole, preferably an earthenware pot. Lightly salt shrimp, cover and refrigerate. Place shells in the pot. Add 5 cups water; the bay leaves; the turnip; 2 onions, chopped; 2 tomatoes, chopped; half the shishito peppers; the garlic; and half the cilantro and chives. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 45 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut a slit in the skin of the plantain, wrap in foil and bake 20 minutes, until flesh is tender. Cool.

Strain broth into a bowl, pressing on the solids. Discard solids and return broth to pot. Cook over medium heat until reduced to 1 1/2 cups.

Slice remaining tomatoes and remaining onion 1/4 inch thick and add to pot. Add bell peppers, Cubanelle peppers, remaining shishito peppers, remaining chives and all but 1 tablespoon remaining cilantro. Bring to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Peel plantain and slice it 1/2 inch thick. Add to pot. Add coconut milk and dende oil. Add fish and octopus, if using, and simmer 5 minutes. Rinse and dry shrimp and squid, if using, and add to pot. Simmer 3 minutes. Check seasonings. Strew remaining cilantro on top, garnish with a red chile and serve over rice directly from the pot, with farofa and piri-piri on the side.

Pulpo gallego, one of the most famous tapas dishes from Spain's northwestern region of Galicia, features rounds of tender octopus topped with olive oil, salt, and Spanish smoked paprika. Here's how to make it, whether quickly with a pressure cooker or without.

Classic Pulpo Gallego (Galician Octopus Tapa) Recipe

(2 1/2-pound; 1kg) whole octopus, rinsed well (including inside head cavity)

yellow onion, peeled and halved (optional)

garlic (optional)

Kosher salt (see note)

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Pimentón dulce (sweet smoked Spanish paprika),

If Using a Pressure Cooker: Place octopus in pressure cooker and add just enough water to cover. (Be sure to keep water level below pressure cooker's maximum fill line.) Add onion and garlic, if using, along with a couple of large pinches of salt. Close pressure cooker and bring to high pressure (12 to 15 psi). Once cooker has reached high pressure, cook for 15 minutes.

Using steam-release valve, depressurize cooker rapidly. Check octopus for tenderness by sliding a paring knife into the thickest part of one of its tentacles; it should slide in easily with little resistance. If octopus is not tender enough, return to high pressure and cook for 5 minutes longer. (Fifteen minutes was the correct time based on all our tests, but variations in the octopus, such as size, and in the pressure cooker used may change the cooking time slightly.) Let octopus cool slightly in its cooking liquid, then drain and discard onion and garlic. Continue with step 4.

If Using a Conventional Pot: Place octopus in a large pot and add enough water to cover by at least 2 inches. Add onion and garlic, if using, along with a couple of large pinches of salt. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then lower heat and continue to simmer until octopus is tender (a paring knife should slide into the thickest part of one of its tentacles easily), 1 to 2 hours. Let octopus cool slightly in its cooking liquid, then drain and discard onion and garlic. 

To Serve: Cut out and discard the hard beak (if it hasn't been removed already by the fishmonger), which is found in the center of the base of the octopus body, where the tentacles converge. Cut out and discard the section of the head with eyes; the rest of the head is edible. Separate tentacles into individual pieces.

Cut tentacles crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds and head into small strips. Arrange on a plate in a single layer. Sprinkle salt all over, drizzle with olive oil, and dust with smoked paprika to taste. Serve.

A pressure cooker will tenderize octopus faster than any other method.

Pressure-Cooker Octopus Recipe

Kosher salt

Place octopus in a pressure cooker and add just enough water to cover. (Be sure to keep water level below pressure cooker's maximum fill line.) Add a couple of large pinches of salt. Close pressure cooker and bring to high pressure (12 to 15 psi). Once cooker has reached high pressure, cook for 15 minutes.

Using steam-release valve, depressurize cooker rapidly. Check octopus for tenderness by sliding a paring knife into the thickest part of one of its tentacles; it should slide in easily with little resistance. If the octopus is not tender enough, return to high pressure and then cook for 5 minutes longer. (Fifteen minutes was the correct time based on all our tests, but variations in the octopus, such as size, and in the pressure cooker used may change the cooking time slightly.) Let octopus cool in its cooking liquid, then drain. Cooked octopus can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 2 days before use.

To use cooked octopus, cut out and discard the hard beak (if it hasn't been removed already by the fishmonger), which is found in the center of the base of the octopus body, where the tentacles converge. Cut out and discard the section of the head with eyes; the rest of the head is edible. Separate tentacles into individual pieces.

To Serve Cold: Cut tentacles and head into pieces and add to a seafood salad or ceviche.

To Sear: Leave tentacles whole (or, if very long, cut into manageable sections); cut head meat into large pieces. Heat a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil in a skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add octopus pieces and cook until well browned and crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn and brown on other side, about 3 minutes longer. Season with salt and serve as desired.

There's no need to feel anxious about cooking octopus. It's easy, and getting tender results requires nothing more than time. This recipe for boiled octopus on the stovetop is all you need, and from there you can do whatever you want with your perfectly cooked cephalopod.

Perfectly Cooked Boiled Octopus Recipe

(2 1/2-pound; 1kg) whole octopus,

Fill a pot large enough to hold the octopus with the octopus and enough cold water to cover. Set over high heat. Bring water to a simmer, then lower heat to maintain simmer. Cook until octopus is tender enough that you can pierce the thick part of a tentacle with a paring knife with little resistance, about 1 hour; keep in mind that this time is a rough estimate, and the octopus may be done sooner or it may take longer, but it will get there.

Let octopus cool in the cooking water. Drain, wrap in plastic or store in an airtight container, and refrigerate until chilled. (Chilling helps set the skin so it doesn't fall off later, so it's good to do even if you're planning to serve the octopus warm.) The octopus can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

When ready to serve, carve the octopus by cutting off the tentacles where they converge on the body. At this convergence point, you will also find the hard beak; remove it. Cut away and discard the octopus's eyes as well. You can eat all that remains of the the tentacles and head pouch.

To Sear: Heat a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil in a skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add octopus pieces and cook until well browned and crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn and brown on other side, about 3 minutes longer. Season with salt and serve as desired.

Octopus, Galician Style

octopus,

salt

potatoes

Smoked pimentón

Olive oil

Thaw octopus if necessary, either for 24 hours in refrigerator, or for a few hours in a couple of changes of cold water. With a scissors, remove skinny tips of tentacles and, cutting through webbing that connects them, separate the 8 tentacles and discard head. (Alternatively, you can cook the octopus whole and cut it up after cooking.)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Put octopus in water and, when it returns to boil, cover and adjust heat so water simmers gently. Cook an hour or so, until octopus is tender. Meanwhile peel potatoes and cut into 2-inch slices. Lower them into water and cook until tender, about a half hour. Remove if they're done before octopus, and keep warm.

When octopus is tender, remove it and drain. Put potatoes on a platter and cut octopus into pieces (again, a scissors is easiest); top potatoes with it. Drizzle all liberally with pimentón, olive oil and coarse salt, and serve hot or warm.

Mark Bittman, a k a The Minimalist, makes octopus accessible to those who might be squeamish.

I used small octopus for this recipe, but it works just as well with larger ones, too. If you use a big octo, you will need to braise it longer, and you will want to cut it into chunks when you are ready to grill. Octopus is readily available at both Asian and Latin markets. There is no easy substitute for octopus, although squid will get you close.

Grilled Octopus, Greek Style

herbs

olive oil

lemon

oregano

fresh hot chile, (or 1/2 teaspoon chile flakes)

olive oil, (black pepper and lemon wedges

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the octopus for 90 seconds. Remove the octopus and let it drain on a colander.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300°F. Line the bottom of a brazier, a Dutch oven or other large, ovenproof pot with the herbs and bay leaves. Lay the octopus on the nest of herbs, cover the pot and cook in the oven until tender, which will be somewhere between 90 minutes for small octopus to 4 hours for a really gigantic one. Two hours is about normal.

When the octopus is tender, cut it into chunks. Leave small octopi whole. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and chile and marinate the octopus in this for at least 1 hour, and as much as a day or two.

To finish, get your grill blazing hot. Make sure the grill grates are clean. Grill the octopus over high heat until you get a little bit of charring here and there; they're already cooked, so you are just adding flavor. Drizzle your grilled octopus with really good olive oil, grind some black pepper over them and serve with a wedge of lemon -- and a shot of ouzo.

This is a simple, traditional recipe for grilled octopus that my mother makes. You can braise the octopus ahead and store it in the fridge for 1 or 2 days before grilling. Eat with a crisp, vinegary salad and squeeze of lemon juice. Or make a garlicky tomato broth with some chorizo. Can be an appetizer for 4 or dinner for 2.

Mediterranean Grilled Octopus

octopus, 2-5 lbs

Lemon

(Optional) Aromatics: Onions, Celery, Carrots, Bay Leaves, Dill

(Optional) Pomegranate Molasses

If frozen, allow to defrost completely in the fridge

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Submerge the octopus for 1 minute. Remove and rinse under cold running water.

Prepare the bed of aromatics in a dish large enough to hold the octopus. Roughly chop everything you will be using and place the octopus on top.

If your octopus is around 2 lbs, allow it to braise for about 2-hours. If it is closer to 4 lbs, you may need 3 or more hours.

 Pierce the flesh with a knife or fork to determine tenderness. It should go through easily.

 To finish, preheat your grill to High (or get out your blow-torch) and grill the octopus until the edges are slightly charred and the ends of the tentacles blackened.

 Rub down the meat with high-quality olive oil, preferably one of the more bitter Mediterranean styles and serve with a dish of flaky sea salt on the side and lemon wedges.

 Pomegranate Molasses is optional, but a tiny bit drizzled onto the octopus meat is surprisingly delicious. You can purchase Pomegranate Molasses at Middle Eastern stores or follow my recipe by clicking here.

I have never been brave enough to tackle one whole octopus, but your post makes it sounds doable. And I love all your photos!

I love this unique recipe idea! Will be trying it this summer for sure!

This is a great recipe. I live on an island in the South Pacific and we make octopus with coconut milk and it is delicious.

I have never tried octopus. I like how detailed your post is and where I would check back for making it. And love that touch of molasses to the recipe.

This looks amazing!  I've never tried making Octopus but your Pomegranate Molasses dressing makes me want to try!

That pomegranate molasses sounds great! I bet it'd also be delicious on grilled chicken!

This is absolutely amazing!! I would love to try that whole octopus!!

I have never tried cooking octopus, however your instructions make it look quite simple, and I appreciate the step by step!   The pomegranate molasses sounds fabulous!

Oh wow I've always been too intimidated to try making octopus at home but I think I need to give it a go!

Love grilled octopus and I love the seasoning on this one! Can't wait to try your version.

Cooking first, refrigerating and then grilling is a helpful technique. Thank you for sharing that! I appreciate all the tips here and the bits of history and travel. :)

Well, I've never tried making my own octopus before. I do enjoy it, though. Thanks for the inspiration!

I really enjoy eating octopus but have never tried to make it myself! Will have to give your recipe a try!

YUM! I will definitely have to give this a try!!

I love octopus but never thought I could make a whole one at home. Thanks for all the ideas! Love pomegranate molasses - that's such a great idea to use at the end.

I've never attempted to make octopus at home, but this looks fantastic and I love pomegranate molasses!

I've never made octopus myself, but I really enjoy eating it. This recipe makes it so much more approachable for me to do myself at home.

I have only recently tried octopus for the first time, and was delicious!  I would not have thought of making it at home until reading this!

Thank you for the instructions. I have no idea how to cook an octopus and have never attempted it.

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Hi, I also like to add fresh lemon juice to my octopus, especially when it s grilled over charcoals. Unfortunately I ve never made this recipe with lemon instead of balsamic so I can t tell how it will turn out. My main concern is that perhaps the lemon juice will make the octopus tough (or the lemon flavor will disappear during cooking). You can certainly add lemon juice to the octopus after it s baked though!

I could talk for hours about how good this recipe is and how impressed I am with myself that I made the best damn octopus ever. I followed the recipe exactly except I did not have a wine cork and I marinated the octopus for way longer then 20 mins. I love octopus but I’ve definitely eaten some horribly too chewy octopus before, so I was definitely scared to do this. The octopus was perfect   really tender but with some good bite from the grill. My family was too impatient to wait for the onions to cook and ate most of it while the onions were cooking- but after adding the onions in it really upgraded flavor. This is definitely my new go to grill recipe I am going to bring every time my family decides to grill. Maybe next time they will be patient enough to wait for me to take a picture ?? thanks for making an amazing recipe!!

Braising octopus might sound advanced, but it’s as easy as simmering a pot of beans.

Spicy Charred Octopus

1” piece ginger, peeled

red Thai chile

chili paste

fish sauce

lime juice

gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder)

rice vinegar

olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling

carrot, peeled, chopped

celery stalk, chopped

coriander seeds

hot smoked Spanish paprika

Cabernet Sauvignon

red wine vinegar

salt and black pepper

5–6-lb. octopus, cleaned, head and beak removed

Greek yogurt

Gochugaru can be found

Bon Appétit

Purée garlic, ginger, chile, chili paste, fish sauce, lime juice, gochugaru, and vinegar in a blender until smooth.

DO AHEAD: Sauce can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.

Heat 4 Tbsp. oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook onion, carrot, and celery, stirring often, until softened, 8–10 minutes. Add coriander seeds and paprika and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add wine, vinegar, and 6 cups water; season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

Add octopus to liquid, reduce heat, and partially cover pot. Simmer gently, turning octopus occasionally, until flesh is tender enough to cut with a spoon, 60–75 minutes. Transfer octopus to a platter with a slotted spoon; let cool. Rub off skin with paper towels. Separate tentacles and cut into equal lengths.

Heat a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat. Toss octopus with 1 Tbsp. oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning occasionally, until charred, 8–10 minutes. Brush with chili sauce (you may not use all of it) and cook, turning occasionally, until sauce is deeply caramelized, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and toss with butter to coat.

Toss herbs, lime juice, and 1 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Swipe yogurt across plates and top with octopus, then herb salad; drizzle with more oil.

DO AHEAD: Octopus can be braised 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Don't be afraid of this cephalopod! &nbsp;The technique is easy and the end result is smoky, tender and delicious!

Grilled Octopus

carrots (roughly chopped)

celery (roughly chopped)

onion (roughly chopped)

garlic (crushed)

parsley

white wine

wine corks

garlic (thinly sliced)

red pepper flakes

lemon (zested)

parsley leaves (torn)

lemon wedges

parsley leaves

red onion (thinly sliced)

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.

https://embed.mediavine.com/videos/nadwpc8w9lx4fohsozst

Making Grilled Octopus at home is easier than you think! Try this simple recipe and wow your family and friends!

Easy Grilled Octopus Recipe - tender, lightly seasoned and charred octopus that tastes amazing! A must try for seafood lovers!

EASY GRILLED OCTOPUS RECIPE

garlic (, roughly chopped)

salt and pepper

Place octopus in a pot and cover with enough water. Bring to a boil. Boil for 40 minutes.

Remove octopus from hot water, rinse and place in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and add chopped garlic. Let is cool and rest at room temperature, for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat a gas grill to medium-high heat.

Slice octopus tentacles. Grill for 3-4 minutes per side, until charred.

Remove from heat and place in a bowl.

Drizzle with olive oil and add lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle some oregano (optional) and parsley on top. You can also add some chopped garlic, too (optional).

Serve.

https://embed.mediavine.com/videos/tyja3zq17zs16j1c8870

Easy Grilled Octopus Recipe – tender, lightly seasoned and charred octopus that tastes amazing!

Easy Grilled Octopus Recipe

Cover calamari in chermoula and grill it for a delicious addition to this easy low-fat salad that takes only 10 minutes to cook.

Chermoula-grilled calamari salad

red chilli, deseeded, chopped

coriander leaves

garlic cloves, crushed

tsp cumin

paprika

milliliters (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice

tbsp extra virgin olive oil

calamari, cut into 7cm pieces, scored

red onion, finely chopped

can chickpeas, rinsed, drained

green beans, halved, steamed

roasted red capsicum,

Asian flavours are infused into the calamari in this quick and healthy stir-fry recipe.

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Top Tags

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Octopus, Galician Style

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