Not a word of a lie; this is the best octopus I have ever eaten. I was jumping up and down in the test kitchen when I tried it. It’s incredibly tender and flavourful and it’s my new favourite way to make octopus. Yield is 4 servings as an appetizer.
ingredients
Octopus
Vinaigrette
directions
The 8 tentacles and the body to which they’re attached are edible. To clean the octopi, remove the eyes, mouth area (hard beak), ink sac and viscera and discard them.
Heat a large pot on medium-high heat and flash sear the octopi to release the juices, about 1 minute.
Cover with a lid, turn the heat down to low, and cook the octopi for about 45 minutes.
If there is more than 1 cup liquid in the pot after 45 minutes, remove enough so that 1 cup remains.
Add the onion, carrot, bay leaves, garlic, white wine, white wine vinegar, water, oregano, parsley stems and peppercorns and put a heatproof plate on top of the octopi so that they stay immersed in the liquid.
Bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
Gently simmer until the octopi are tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Swish the octopus legs around with the tongs to remove the membranes.
Drain the octopi, discarding the cooking liquid, and cool to room temperature.
Put the raisins, garlic, sherry vinegar, jalapeno, and shallot in a small saucepan on medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
Cool the vinegar mixture.
Put the cooled vinegar mixture, capers, and coriander in a large bowl and whisk in the olive oil until incorporated.
Check the seasoning and add lemon juice to taste.
Preheat grill on high.
Add octopi and toss.
Put 1/3 of the vinaigrette in a large bowl.
Grill the octopi for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side and serve with the remaining vinaigrette.