If you enjoy octopus but are too intimidated to give it a shot in your home kitchen, don’t be. Take it out of the bag, throw it in a pot with some water and some wine get to simmering. I added carrots, onion, bay leaf, and a few other ingredients I had hanging out in the fridge.
Don’t follow the exact recipe for the braising liquid - utilize what’s in your fridge and your pantry and add your own personal twist to make it interesting. My final advice: don’t be afraid to get a really good sear on all sides of the octopus once you have it in the pan.
I like this one as a light lunch or as an app at dinner time. It pairs well with the grilled bread and a simple arugula salad dressed with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Passive Time | 2 hours |
| Servings |
people
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- 1 lb octopus
- 1/2 bunch parsley, sliced (save the stems
- 1/2 cup red wine
- water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/2 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, 4 chopped and 1 peeled and left whole
- 2 handfuls cherry tomatoes (red and yellow), halved through the stem
- 4 slices Country Style Sourdough Bread
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- red pepper flakes
- 1 lemon halved
- kosher salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Ingredients
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- Place the octopus in a pot with the red onion, carrot, parsley stems, bay leaf, red wine and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 1.5 - 2 hours. The octopus is ready when it can be easily pierced with a knife. Remove the octopus to a platter and let cool. Cut the octopus into 2"-3" pieces. In a bowl, toss the octopus generously with salt and fresh cracked pepper (and red pepper flakes if you like it spicy).
- Heat 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil in a saute pan (or preferably a cast iron pan). When the olive oil just begins to smoke add the octopus in an even layer. When the octopus is well charred flip it to char the other side. After a minute or two move the octopus to one side of the pan, add some olive oil if needed, then add the tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes until they begin to soften and release some of their juices. Move the tomatoes to the side and add the garlic. Cook the garlic for about 30 seconds - then add the parsley and stir everything together really well.
- preheat a panini press or the broiler. Brush the bread with olive oil. Cook until golden brown. Rub a few times with the peeled garlic and drizzle with more olive oil.
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