Grilled Octopus in Red Wine Marinade Recipe

Grilled Octopus in Red Wine Marinade

Recipe courtesy of Charles Bowman

Watch how to make this recipe.

• Yield: 8 appetizer servings
• Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: Serving Size 1 of 8 servings | Calories 300 | Total Fat 16 g | Saturated Fat 4 g | Carbohydrates 9 g | Dietary Fiber 1 g | Sugar 2 g | Protein 18 g | Cholesterol 62 mg | Sodium 956 mg
• Total Time: 1 day 1 hr 45 min
• Prep Time: 1 day 1 hr 30 min
• Cook Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

• 2 cleaned 1 1/2 pound octopus, cut into 4 pieces, heads discarded
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 cups red wine
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
• Parsley and lemon wedges, for garnish

Marinade:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons dry red wine
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Sauce:

• 1 1/3 cups strained octopus cooking broth
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, combine the octopus, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns, thyme, red wine, and water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes, or until the octopus is very tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from heat and allow the octopus to cool in its cooking liquid.
2. Reserve 1 1/3 cups of the broth for the sauce. Once the octopus is cool enough to handle, remove it from the broth and gently rub off the purplish skin. Rinse the tentacles in the broth as you clean them. Drain the octopus and transfer to a large bowl.
3. Prepare the marinade: In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, dry red wine, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour this mixture over the octopus and toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, or up to 3 days.
4. For the sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the reserved strained broth, olive oil, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar. Bring to a boil and reduce by half over high heat. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Stir in the chopped parsley and keep warm.
5. Prepare a charcoal grill. Drain the tentacles and pat them dry. Grill for about 4 minutes, turning frequently, until lightly charred and heated through. Serve 2 tentacles per person, spooning the sauce over the top, and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

Recipe courtesy of Charles Bowman, Periyali Restaurant, New York