Eight Legged Wonders

A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine called me up after having dinner at my restaurant. He had really enjoyed his meal, but was particularly fond of the grilled octopus. He told me that he had never been able to prepare it so that it was tender and flavourful. He asked me if I had any secrets to preparing grilled octopus, and I reminded him that I have no secrets. For this reason, I now present my technique for tender grilled octopus.

First you will need an octopus or two. I recommend getting them from a fish market rather than a grocery store as there tends to be a greater turnover in product. My preference is for a 3-4 pound octopus which I generally buy frozen and then thaw in the fridge overnight.

Take a large stockpot and place your octopus(or pi) in the pot. Add dry spices. My preference is for a mixture of peppercorns, bay leaves, red pepper flakes and fennel seed, but this can be altered to suit your personal taste.

Next come the other aromatics. I enjoy a Mediterranean-style dish, so I use flavourings native to that area; lemon, onion, thyme, parsley and garlic. All ingredients are rough chopped as they will have plenty of time to release their flavour during the cooking process.

Add enough water to cover the octopus(pi) by at least 2". At this point stir in enough salt that the water tastes "salted", but not "salty". I like to use sea or kosher salt as they are not iodized and have a purer flavour. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Immediately turn the heat to medium and allow the octopus to simmer for at least 1 hour, topping up the water level as necessary.

After 1 hour, you can begin checking for tenderness. I have a technique that always works, regardless of the size of octopus. Pick up the octopus using a pair of tongs and holding around the middle of one of the thicker legs. When the octopus is tender, the weight of the body will cause the leg to start to pull away from the body. If this does not happen, continue simmering.

Once you have determined that your octopus is sufficiently cooked, remove it from the water and allow to cool to a safe handling temperature.

Once you can handle the octopus comfortably, cut off the head and discard. In the center of the legs is the mouth. Remove that as well. Separate each leg the cut into manageable pieces. I like to cut on a bias to provide more surface area for grilling.

Drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place on a very hot grill, turning often until heated through and beginning to crisp.

After grilling, I like to toss my octopus in a dressing to add another level of flavour. At the restaurant, I use a mixture of ground kalamata olives, olive oil and fresh basil.

At this point you will have created a truly wonderful octopus dish, full of flavour and meltingly tender.

Enjoy!!