045Grilled octopus

Method

Aegean island tavern style. Serve as a meze with ouzo, tsipouro, or crusty sourdough bread.

You will need

• Heavy-based pot with lid
• Cast-iron grill pan or outdoor charcoal grill
• Tongs
• Chef's knife

1. Place the whole octopus in a dry, heavy-based pot over medium-low heat without adding any water; it will rapidly release its own juices. 10 min Ready when: octopus releases copious purple liquid and turns deep pink
2. Add the red wine vinegar, bay leaves, and peppercorns, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer gently on low heat until tender when pierced with a fork. 35 min Ready when: fork slides easily into the thickest part of the tentacle
3. Remove the octopus from the pot and allow it to cool completely on a rack so the skin dries slightly; separate the tentacles and discard the head or cut it into strips. 15 min Ready when: tentacles are cool to touch and the exterior is no longer dripping wet
4. Heat a charcoal grill or cast-iron ridged grill pan over high heat until smoking hot. 5 min Ready when: grill pan is extremely hot and lightly smoking
5. Brush the tentacles lightly with olive oil and place them directly on the hot grate, grilling without moving until crisp char marks form on both sides. 6 min Ready when: edges are crispy and charred in spots without burning through
6. Transfer to a cutting board, slice into bite-sized pieces, toss with the remaining extra virgin olive oil, a splash of vinegar, and dried oregano, then serve immediately with lemon wedges. 2 min Ready when: fragrant and glistening

Tap a step to tick it off.

Make ahead and storing

The octopus can be braised tender a day ahead and refrigerated; bring to room temperature before charring on the grill.

Cooked grilled octopus is best eaten fresh; refrigerated leftovers keep up to 2 days.

Substitutions

• calamari or cuttlefish for whole cleaned octopus. Calamari cooks much faster and should be grilled briefly without the initial braise.

Common mistakes

• Adding salt or water during the initial braising stage. Octopus naturally holds enough sea salt and liquid; adding water dilutes its concentrated flavour, and added salt makes it tough.
• Grilling the octopus raw without par-braising or sun-drying. Raw octopus cooked directly on a domestic grill turns rubbery and practically impossible to chew.

Regional variants

• Sun-dried Cycladic style, where the octopus is dried on a line before grilling without prior boiling

About the dish

Grilled octopus is an iconic island meze across the Aegean and Ionian seas. Traditionally, fishermen tenderised fresh octopus by beating it against flat rocks and hanging it out in the sun and sea breeze to dry before cooking. In modern home kitchens, octopus is gently simmered in its own liquid until tender before hitting a blistering charcoal grill or griddle pan, finished simply with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and wild dried oregano.

Found in Cyclades, North Aegean, Dodecanese, Ionian Islands. Cooked for everyday, summer, lent.

Cousins elsewhere

• Izgara ahtapot (Turkish). Common along the Aegean coast of Turkey, prepared and grilled over charcoal in essentially the same manner.
• Polpo alla griglia (Italian). Widespread across southern Italy, often finished with olive oil and parsley instead of vinegar and oregano.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

372 kcal · protein 44.8 g · fat 16.9 g (saturated 2.5 g) · carbohydrate 7.2 g (sugars 0 g) · fibre 0.3 g · sodium 691 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Aegean seaside taverna tradition, par-simmering in its own water before finishing over fierce heat..