Recipes
Grilled Octopus with Rice Beans, Parsley, Castelvetrano Olives, Red Pepper
Death & Taxes
Raleigh
N.C.
Rate this recipe
Yield
6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
10
qt
Water
1/4
c
Kosher salt
1
each
Celery, bunch of, coarsely chopped
2
each
Garlic, heads of, halved across equator
2
each
Bay leaves, fresh
10
each
Thyme sprigs
4
each
Wine corks
7
to 8 Lb
Whole octopus (see note)
As needed
Lemon juice
1/2
c
Shallots, sliced
1
c
Butter, chilled, cut into cubes
As needed
Sea salt
As needed
Lemons, halved
1
In a large stockpot, combine water, salt, celery, garlic, bay leaves and thyme. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add corks and then lower octopus into liquid. Return to a simmer and cook octopus for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until tender. Make sure octopus is completely submerged in liquid, adding more water if necessary to keep octopus covered.
2
Remove from heat and let octopus cool to room temperature in braising liquid (again, making sure octopus is completely submerged).
3
Remove octopus from liquid, pausing to let excess liquid drain back into pot, and place it on a cutting board; discard braising liquid. Slice head off and discard. To remove beak, flip octopus over so that you’re looking at center where all its legs meet; you’ll see a sharp triangular piece that looks like a bird’s beak (often black or dark in color). Use a paring knife to cut a small circle around beak, then pop it out (similar to coring a tomato) and discard.
4
Cut tentacles and body into 2-inch pieces, slicing on diagonal. (You can prepare octopus to this point up to 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate, then let octopus come up to room temperature for 1 hour before proceeding with grilling.)
5
Place octopus pieces in an even layer in a wire mesh grill basket (you may have to work in batches) and nestle basket directly on embers. Cook octopus, turning occasionally, until nicely charred in places, 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and lemon juice.
6
Prepare a medium grill. In a saucepan, combine rice beans with their cooking liquid and sliced shallots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and add butter. Stir in pistou and season to taste with salt and juice from lemon halves. Place beans on a large platter and arrange octopus on top. Top with spoonfuls of relish and serve.
Notes
Note
If using frozen octopus, let thaw completely overnight.
- Log in or register to post comments