Growing up on the Caribbean island of Dominica, my family had a love/hate relationship with octopus. This tumultuous relationship was mainly because octopus requires special cleaning skills since the internal organs, ink sac, and eyes need to be removed carefully. Most octopuses purchased frozen, are clean. Those purchased fresh, especially from local fishermen, will require cleaning before it’s cooked.
Octopus also requires slow cooking for a long time to tenderize it. This makes it easier to use in soups, stews, salads, or pasta. The all muscle sea creature is an international delicacy, and it’s also consumed quite often in Dominica. The traditional way to prepare it, is to cook in soup with kidney beans. I’ll share this recipe sometime in the near future.
My favorite way to prepare octopus is to grill it. Whether I’m making a salad with spinach, arugula, or putting it over a bed of roasted pumpkin puree, I enjoy grilling it. This method of preparation offers a delightful taste.
In this post, I’ll how I prepare octopus for grilling.
Jump to VideoHow to grill octopus
Equipment
- Large pot
- Outdoor grill
- Platter or cutting board
- bowl
Ingredients
- 1 Octopus (3-4lbs)
- 20 cups Water
- 2 tbsp Salt You may use seasoned salt
- I Lemon cut in half
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 2 sprigs Thyme
- 2 sprigs Parsley
- 1/2 cup Olive oil
Instructions
- Use half of the lemon and wash the octopus.
- Use all the other ingredients except the oil create a broth
- Bring the broth to boil for about 5
- Dip the tentacles in the water for about 10 seconds to help then create and maintain the curl
- Boil octopus for about 50-75. Depending on size
- When octopus is tender, turn off water and drain pot
- Place octopus on a cutting board or platter and cut in 4 sections. Please not that octopus can stay overnight in a refrigerator before grilling.
- Using the olive oil and your favorite herb, create a base, and toss in octopus
- Grill for about 15 minutes
- Remove octopus from grill and slice as desired
Judy says
Awesome. Even if I dont eat octopus it’s very tempting. Great job
admin says
Thank you! hopefully you become get converted. 🙂
Kerry says
You’re the BEST chef out here!! Hands down 💯🙌🏼
Wendy Robin says
You’re truly amazing Mayma. You make everything look so delicious. Would love to taste your cooking one day. Your blog is also top of the line.
admin says
Thank you! Would love to cook for you one day 🙂