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Grilled octopus with olive oil, cayenne pepper and lemon. This Spanish grilled octopus with salad is the best and restaurant worthy, juicy, tender and delicious!
Octopus
Octopus is a soft-bodies mollusk or cephalopod with eight limbs. Even though the look of octopus is somewhat bizzare, it’s one of my favorite seafood.
In recent months, I haven’t been able to dine out at my favorite restaurants. I really miss it especially grilled octopus with salad.
I took matters into my own hands and bought some at my seafood store.
I fired up the grill and made this amazing Spanish grilled octopus to kick start my summer, and I also made some grilled oysters.
Grilled Octopus Ingredients
It’s very easy to make this recipe as it calls for few simple ingredients:
- Octopus
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- Lemon juice
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Grilled Octopus
Drizzle the boiled octopus with olive oil and season with salt, black pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Toss gently to coat evenly.
Preheat the grill to high heat. Grill the octopus over direct heat until the surface is slightly charred, then flip and grill the other side until evenly charred and heated through.
Remove the grilled octopus from the grill and slice it into bite-sized pieces. Serve immediately with a fresh spring mix salad and lemon wedges on the side.
Tips On Making The Best Grilled Octopus
You can buy fresh, raw and uncooked octopus or boiled octopus that has been cooked.
As octopus are naturally briny, you don’t need a lot of ingredients. All you need are a great olive oil and basic seasonings. A few minutes on the grill and you’re done!
After grilling, slice it into pieces and serve with a simple green salad of your choice.
Serve with fresh lemon wedges and you will have a dish that rivals your favorite restaurants.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are lucky to get fresh octopus, you just need to grill them on direct heat for a total of a few minutes on both sides.
As soon as the tentacles or limbs curl up and the flesh turns white or opaque in color, they are cooked.
Do not over grill or they will turn rubbery and chewy.
Perfectly grilled octopus should be tender to the bite and juicy.
Fresh green salads are great with octopus. You can use all kinds of salad. I love spring mix salad with arugula.
This recipe is 146 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Grilled Octopus
Serve this dish with fresh salad. For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Grilled Octopus
Ingredients
- 1 lb (500g) boiled octopus
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- 3 dashes cayenne pepper
- 1 pack spring mix salad
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Season the boiled octopus with olive oil, salt, ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Fire up the grill and quickly grill the octopus over direct heat until the surface is slightly charred. Turn it over and grill the other side.
- Remove the grilled octopus and slice it into pieces. Serve immediately with a fresh spring mix salad and lemon wedges.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How long do you boil the octopus before grilling?
You boil for 30 minutes.
Found your recipe after returning from Spain where I had a memorably octopus meal. Your recipe hit it! I brought Spain home!
:)
Hi, can i replace with oven roast instead of grill? Do not have access to grill.
If oven roast, what temperature and how long should i roast it?
Just cook on the stove top.
Got frozen octopus I defrost it but how long to boil to get it tender and how
Do you have any other receipts for octopus
Thank you
Nash
Just boil for 1 min max in rolling boil.
Love this recipe so much, I just tried it, really yummy and easy to make, thank you!
Thanks for trying my grilled octopus recipe!
I live in Hawley, Pennsylvania and there aren’t many seafood markets in my area. Do you know where I can purchase Octopus online?
Thank you,
Janey Perry
Hi Janey, I am not sure sorry.
In your grilled octopus recipe, you mentioned season boiled octopus with olive oil, salt, etc. Then grill the octopus.
Someone asked for how long to boil the octopus. You answered if she is having raw octopus no need to boil. Instead just grill it till cooked.
It’s confusing.
Anne – in my recipe, I used boiled octopus, it’s stated in the recipe clearly. So, if you have raw octopus, don’t boil and grill right away. That would taste the best. It’s just like if you have raw shrimp, you grill raw shrimp instead of boil and then grill. It’s really common sense and there is nothing to confuse about.
Costco online! It’s fabulous!
How long should I boil the octopus?
If you have raw octopus, no need to boil. Just grill until cooked.
How long for frozen octopus to boil?
If you have frozen octopus, just thaw and boil in rolling hot water for 1 minute.
Hi
Do you have recipes for octopus cook in air fryer
No sorry I don’t have.
I boil mine for about 40 to 50 minutes…