This delicious Grilled Octopus with Leeks and Shallots recipe will change your mind about cooking octopus at home! This beautiful sea creature grills up so quickly, and the taste is out of this world!
Don't be intimidated by cooking fresh octopus! Learn how to make this in your own kitchen. The result is tender, lightly seasoned and charred octopus grilled to perfection. This recipe is a must try for seafood lovers!
My inspiration for making this dish: I recently dined at a "to-die-for" Greek restaurant in NYC called, Ethos Gallery. One of my favorite seafood dishes was the "Octapodi Sharas" (grilled octopus) on their small plates menu. Wow! My mouth was full of sheer joy!
How to boil the octopus
In a large pot of salted water, add peppercorns, lemon (squeezed), thyme, garlic, white wine, and bay leaves. Bring water to a boil. Slowly drop in whole octopus, tentacles first to avoid too much curling. Lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour.
Where do you buy octopus?
Where the heck do you buy octopus? I buy mine at Whole Foods (already cleaned), but you can often find octopus at your local seafood market or at select Asian markets.
Once you've boiled the octopus, bathe the octopus in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
Grill the octopus until nicely charred on both sides. I used my stove-top grill pan!
The result is a tender, charred octopus with incredible flavorful! Don't worry, it seems complex but it's really not!
This dish makes an awesome appetizer, but is filling enough for a main. Serve it with a side of Roasted Baby Potatoes with Leeks. Kalí óreksi! - which is Greek for "bon appetit!"
Print Grilled Octopus with Leeks and Shallots
This delicious Grilled Octopus with Leeks and Shallots recipe will change your mind about cooking octopus at home! This beautiful sea creature grills up so quickly, and the taste is out of this world!
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 min
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
- 25 whole peppercorns (green or black)
- 1 large lemon, cut in half
- 4-5 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 head garlic, cut in half length wise
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 bay leaves (fresh or dried)
- 2 pounds fresh, cleaned whole octopus (head removed)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 leek, cleaned and chopped (white part only)
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 sprigs thyme
- Salt & pepper
- 1 large lemon for squeezing
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot of salted water, add peppercorns, lemon (squeezed), thyme, garlic, white wine, and bay leaves. Bring water to a boil. Slowly drop in whole octopus, tentacles first to avoid too much curling. Lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour. Poke tentacles with a fork to check tenderness (should be very tender).
- When done, drain into colander and put octopus only into a large glass bowl of ice water to cool. Drain again when octopus has cooled.
- On a cutting board, cut tentacles into off of into individual whole pieces starting from middle of octopus (keeping tentacles intact). Place whole tentacles into a plastic baggie and add 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper to coat. Set aside to marinate, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a non-stick skillet with one tablespoon of olive oil. Add garlic, leeks, shallots, and red pepper flakes. Cook until translucent. Stir in thyme, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Heat either an outdoor grill or grill pan on high. Remove tentacles from marinade and grill until octopus has vivid char marks, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and place on a serving platter.
- Sprinkle veggie mixture on top of octopus and squeeze with lemon juice. Garnish with chopped parsley. (Can be served warm or at room temperature.)
- If desired, serve with a side of Roasted Baby Potatoes with Leeks.
Notes
I buy my octopus in the seafood department at Whole Foods. You can also find it at select fish markets and Asian markets.
Adapted from: NY Times
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 min
- Category: Seafood
- Method: Stove Top & Grill
- Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 228
- Sugar: 0.7 g
- Sodium: 446.6 mg
- Fat: 8.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 9.1 g
- Protein: 23.3 g
- Cholesterol: 72.5 mg
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