Easy grilled octopus recipe: make this delicious and impressive but deceptively simple traditional Mediterranean staple at home. It requires few ingredients and mostly hands-off time to transform octopus into something tender and unexpected.
Not enough people venture into cooking octopus at home, reserving this delicious seafood preparation for special occasions in restaurants. The truth is that octopus is incredibly easy to make. This easy grilled octopus recipe is a traditional Mediterranean preparation that makes for a lovely appetizer, dinner, or cold lunchtime salad.
Serve with a classic Risotto as a starter or on the side or garlicky smashed potatoes like in my traditional Croatian Blitva Recipe.
Octopus is quite lovely done in numerous ways. This is how my mother usually made it.
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Ingredients
- Octopus
- Aromatics (Carrot, Celery, Onion, Bay Leaf, Parsley)
- Sea Salt
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- First, you blanch the octopus in boiling salted water for a brief time. The water is then discarded.
2. Then it is steamed or braised in the oven for a few hours on a bed of aromatics.
The biggest challenge with octopus is getting the flesh to an appropriately tender state which is why it needs to be braised for several hours on low heat.
You can also try steaming but I personally prefer braising and using a bed of chopped onions, carrots, celery, parsley, and bay leaf.
The octopus is laid on top of this bed of aromatics in a heavy pot or pan and slowly allowed to braise in its own juices.
Something I hear said is that a frozen octopus is already tender and simply needs quick steam before grilling. I tried this once and ended up with tough and stringy meat — something that octopus should never be.
You will likely be purchasing a frozen or pre-frozen octopus, and yes, it is true that the freezing process has done some of the work of tenderization but it is not enough.
3. Lastly, the octopus is finished off on a hot grill (or smoker) for a few minutes for those appealing (and delicious) charred bits.
The taste of octopus is mild and sweet, never fishy. The flesh is firm and substantial but tender, never chewy. The quick cursory grilling at the end imparts that satisfying crispiness and char to the edges. This is an easy grilled octopus recipe that is mostly hands-off while looking very impressive when served.
That's truly all there is to it. Most of the preparation time is hands-off.
Octopus is best done with simple preparation methods which allows the natural sweetness of the flesh to shine. This is why this easy grilled octopus recipe is ideal. Taste-wise, the octopus can be similar to a scallop, but the meat is more solid. It's a creature that lives in all the oceans and seas, and many species live very deep, reaching incomprehensible size.
Substitutions
Different aromatics can be freely used: bay leaf, onion, garlic, rosemary, dill, parsley, carrots, lovage.
Use whatever you hand on hand really. Or even nothing at all.
Variations
You can also buy it at most Middle Eastern grocers.
Drizzled on top of the grilled octopus, the tangy sweet-sour taste of the pomegranate molasses works beautifully.
Equipment
- Oven-safe, deep-sided, heavy pan or pot large enough to hold your aromatics and the whole octopus for the braising period.
- Grill (Or smoker)
Storage
Octopus can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. It can be frozen for 2 months.
Wrap it tightly before storing.
Top Tip
You can braise the octopus ahead of time, and store it in the fridge for a day or two before bringing it back to room temperature and grilling right before serving.
Recipe
Easy Grilled Octopus
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.
Ingredients
- 1 whole octopus, 2-5 lbs
- Olive Oil
- 1 Lemon cut into wedges
- Aromatics roughly chopped: Onions, Celery, Carrots, Bay Leaves, parsley
- Sea Salt
Instructions
- If frozen, allow to defrost completely in the fridge
- Preheat the oven to 300°F
- 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.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
0.5 lbsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 87Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 260mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 7g
This is provided for informational purposes only. Accuracy cannot be guaranteed and is not implied.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Old Lady says
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!!
Amah says
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!
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STACEY CRAWFORD says
Thank you for the instructions. I have no idea how to cook an octopus and have never attempted it.
Anne Lawton says
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!
Jenni LeBaron says
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.
Kari - Get Inspired Everyday! says
I've never attempted to make octopus at home, but this looks fantastic and I love pomegranate molasses!
paleoglutenfreeguy says
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.
Amy Sheree says
YUM! I will definitely have to give this a try!!
Joni Gomes says
I really enjoy eating octopus but have never tried to make it myself! Will have to give your recipe a try!
Raia Todd says
Well, I've never tried making my own octopus before. I do enjoy it, though. Thanks for the inspiration!
Megan Stevens says
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. 🙂
Jean says
Love grilled octopus and I love the seasoning on this one! Can't wait to try your version.
Amy | The Cook Report says
Oh wow I've always been too intimidated to try making octopus at home but I think I need to give it a go!
Denise says
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!
Toni says
This is absolutely amazing!! I would love to try that whole octopus!!
Ashley @ Sweetpea Lifestyle says
I have never eaten octopus, but you're making me want to try it + try cooking it! Thanks for the detailed instructions!
Rosa says
That pomegranate molasses sounds great! I bet it'd also be delicious on grilled chicken!
Jade says
Omg this post was beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing ♡
Beth says
This looks amazing! I've never tried making Octopus but your Pomegranate Molasses dressing makes me want to try!
Roxana says
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.
Jeannette (Jay Joy) says
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.
kim says
I love this unique recipe idea! Will be trying it this summer for sure!
Anita @ Daily Cooking Quest says
I have never been brave enough to tackle one whole octopus, but your post makes it sounds doable. And I love all your photos!