Octopus 

A cephalopod shellfish with eight sucker-bearing arms, a soft body, strong beak like jaws, and no internal shell. A delicious and easy dish, which brings the flavor and scent of the sea to our table. The octopus must first be boiled, then cooled almost completely in the water where it was cooked. It is then put for about half an hour in a marinade to flavor the meat and finally it is cooked on the grill. The execution of the dish is very easy, but consider as total time about an hour and a half. I therefore recommend boiling it and letting it cool well in advance, so as to leave only the marinade before cooking it.

Ingredients

1 Octopus from 800 g to 1 kilo, fresh or frozen

Olive oil 

vinegar

salt

pepper

parsley

lemon

Preparation

The peculiarity of the octopus is to have very leathery meat, which must be brittle before cooking by beating it on the work surface with a rolling pin or meat tenderizer for at least 20 minutes, insisting on the area under the head, where the tentacles join. If you have a fishmonger who loves you, he can do it.

Another system, certainly easier in a modern kitchen, is to buy it fresh, clean it and wash it well, freeze it, keep it in the freezer at least 2 days and defrost it before cooking it. In fact, freezing breaks the muscle fibers and makes them tender. Obviously you can buy frozen and the problem does not exist.

In any case, for 4 people it is good that it is an octopus of 800 g to 1 kg or two of 400-500 grams each but not smaller, otherwise they are reduced too much with boiling. Put a pot with plenty of water on the fire, salt it like that of pasta and add 2 or 3 tablespoons of vinegar. It is part of an octopus with only 6 tentacles, as you can see from the photo. For the rest nothing changes in the execution of the recipe, drawn up for 4 people.

BOILING

If the octopus is fresh and beaten properly or thawed, immerse it for a few seconds 2 or 3 times in boiling water holding it by the head. This gives a better appearance to the curling tentacles and leaves the taste unchanged. Cut it by separating the tentacles and the head, then put it back to cook. If you have frozen it, you can throw it directly into boiling water with added salt and vinegar as explained. As soon as it is thawed, remove it, cut it into pieces as already mentioned and put it back to cook. You will notice that even in this way the tentacles will have curled. The octopus thus cut should be boiled for about 15-20 minutes. It will be at the right cooking point when you can insert a fork well in the hardest point, where the tentacles are larger. At this point turn off the heat and let it cool completely in its cooking water. This is essential for it to be tender.

Grilled octopus

The octopus we used: a pack of 400 g of frozen food, suitable for 2 people, which we threw in boiling water without thawing it. The freshly prepared marinade, still to be beaten briefly with a fork to emulsify it. The octopus boiled and divided into tentacles in the marinade, where it will stay half an hour, during which it should be wet and turned occasionally. The octopus just put on the grill. The grid covered with the lid, to get heat even above. After 6 minutes turn the pieces and wet with a little marinade. No more lid needed. After about 5 minutes they will be cooked properly even from the second side and you can serve them. 

MARINATING

While the octopus cools, prepare the marinade in which it will have to stay for about half an hour. Choose a bowl or similar container that will contain the various pieces well and put the juice of a medium lemon, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, 2 cloves of garlic and a sprig of parsley chopped together. Beat to emulsify.

When the pieces of octopus have cooled remaining just warm, remove them from the water and pass them in the bowl with the marinade. Wet them well on all sides and leave them like this for about half an hour, but occasionally move them and wet them again.

GRILLING

Prepare the grill on the fire and let it heat well, but not at an excessively high temperature. Wet the pieces of octopus with the marinade and arrange them on top in good order, then cover them with a lid to get the heat even above. After about 6 minutes the pieces will have the marks of the grill and will be cooked from the first side.

Wet them a little with the marinade, turn them over and cook them also from the second side, without the lid on top. They will be ready after 4-5 minutes. Serve immediately, accompanied by green salad and well sprinkled with good olive oil and a few drops of lemon. Enjoy your meal!

WARNING  

If placed at too high a temperature, the octopus burns easily on the surface, especially where the tentacles thin. Then adjust the flame of the stove well. If you do it on the barbecue, be even more careful!