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Easy Grilled Octopus Recipe – tender, lightly seasoned and charred octopus that tastes amazing!

easy grilled octopus recipe

Grilled octopus, made at home, can it get any better?

Of course! Just the way I prefer my homemade Oven Baked St Louis Style Ribs and my Lamb Loin Chops made in the oven, I love making octopus for my family. And it goes well with a nice salad like this Cucumber Radish Salad.

Ordering octopus at a restaurant could be pricey.

I don’t mind paying for a nicely cooked octopus, but at times, let’s say often times is could be undercooked and chewy.

That’s why, I learned how to make it at home.

 I’m excited to share this Easy Grilled Octopus Recipe with you today.

And it is so easy. I can’t believe it.

This easy grilled octopus recipe is perfect for an appetizer with a glass of chilled white wine.

Great for summer.

My whole family loves this recipe and it is so simple, but flavorful and delicious.

easy grilled octopus recipe

How to make this Easy Grilled Octopus?

This is the way I like to prepare octopus of any size baby, medium or large.

  • I always boil it first, then let it cool down to room temperature and quickly grill it, so it gets a nice char.
  • Then I season it with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, dried oregano, fresh parsley and garlic (optional).
  • After grilling you can use a mix of your favorite spices, if the ones I’m suggesting don’t sound good to you.

Why make octopus at home?

I know it could be intimidating to try cooking octopus at home, but believe me it is so easy!

You’ll definitely impress your guests of you offer some charred octopus at your next party.

Since a good octopus dish, means tender octopus, you do need to boil it first.

What size octopus to use when making it on the grill?

This time I used medium sized octopus (they sold it to me for “baby”, but it was way bigger than baby octopus).

It was fresh, I don’t really enjoy cooking frozen seafood…

I cut the heads and removed the beak, it is in between all the legs, on the inside.

How long to boil octopus?

Boiled it for 40-45 minutes. Then I let it rest for 30 minutes.

You can let it sit in the fridge overnight or even freeze it for up to 1 month.

While the octopus was resting at room temperature, I drizzled some olive oil over it and added some chopped garlic, so it can get some seasoning, before grilling.

I cut its tentacles and grilled it over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side.

Then I added some seasoning and served it.

If you are cooking for a crowd, I recommend cooking 1 pound of octopus per person.

If you like octopus and are curious to try and make it yourself, you should definitely try this grilling recipe.

Or I also have an easy pesto shrimp skewers recipe, also made on the grill, great for a seafood feast.

Do you love seafood?

Other Seafood Recipes:

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easy grilled octopus recipe
5 from 15 votes

EASY GRILLED OCTOPUS RECIPE

Easy Grilled Octopus Recipe – tender, lightly seasoned and charred octopus that tastes amazing! A must try for seafood lovers!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 2

Equipment

  • 1 Large Pot For Boiling
  • 1 Gas Grill
  • 1 Grilling Tongs

Ingredients 

  • 2 pounds fresh octopus, (baby, medium or large)
  • olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, , roughly chopped
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions 

  • Place octopus in a pot and cover with enough water. Bring to a boil. Boil for 40 minutes.
  • Remove octopus from hot water, rinse and place in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and add chopped garlic. Let is cool and rest at room temperature, for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  • Preheat a gas grill to medium-high heat.
  • Slice octopus tentacles. Grill for 3-4 minutes per side, until charred.
  • Remove from heat and place in a bowl.
  • Drizzle with olive oil and add lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle some oregano (optional) and parsley on top. You can also add some chopped garlic, too (optional).
  • Serve.

Notes

How to prepare octopus for cooking?

Preparing octopus for cooking, especially when boiling first and then grilling, requires a few key steps to ensure tenderness and flavor.

1. Clean the Octopus:

  • First – Rinse the octopus under cold running water.
  • I suggest that you use gloves here. Remove the beak: The beak is located at the center of the tentacles where they converge. You can push it out from underneath or cut it out with a small knife.
  • You may also need to – Remove the eyes: Make a small incision around the eyes and pop them out with a knife.
  • I advise getting cleaned octopus from the store, but if this is not the case, follow this step. If your octopus hasnโ€™t been cleaned, remove any innards from the head sac.

2. Tenderize the Octopus (Optional): When using baby to small octopus, this step is totally unnecessary, according to my experience.

  • Freezing method: If your octopus is fresh, freezing it overnight helps tenderize the meat. Defrost before cooking.
  • Manual tenderizing: You can also pound the octopus with a meat mallet before cooking, though freezing is a simpler method.

What size of octopus is best for grilling?

Baby, small to medium octopus works best, but you can use large octopus as well.

How Long To Boil Octopus Before Grilling?

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 40-60 minutes. The rule is to boil octopus for at least 45 minutes per every 2 pounds. It can take even longer sometimes. Take a fork and insert it where the head meets the tentacles. If it slides in and out pretty effortlessly, your octopus is ready.

What is the best seasoning for grilled octopus?

Wondering what flavors pair well with octopus? The best way to enjoy this charred octopus in my opinion is to drizzle is with a mixture of freshly squeezed lemon juice (or vinegar), good quality extra virgin olive oil, garlic, oregano, parsley and other fresh herbs of your choice. Thyme, rosemary and chives are also great options.
Octopus goes well with crisp salads, Feta cheese, olives and capers.

Nutrition

Calories: 378kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 67g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 217mg, Sodium: 1043mg, Potassium: 1587mg, Vitamin A: 680IU, Vitamin C: 26.5mg, Calcium: 246mg, Iron: 24.1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Greek
Tried this recipe?Mention @cookinglsl or tag #cookinglsl!

 

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Hi! I'm Mira.

I share simple, mostly low-carb and Keto recipes, that don't take a lot of time to make and use mostly seasonal, easy to find ingredients. I'm a supporter of healthy eating, but you'll also find some indulgent treats too.

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72 Comments

  1. I did mine last night added touch of chilli, since Asian running in my blood ๐Ÿ˜Š And it was excellent. Thank you for the recipe. Easy and briliant

  2. Hi we buy frozen here about 3 pounds. We boiled unthawed for 40 minutes and it was so tough. If we thaw it completely does it still need to be boiled? And how do we know when itโ€™s tender? Any help would be much appreciated!ย 

    1. Yes, this recipe works for thawed octopus. It is about 20 nminutes of boiling time per 2 lb (1 kilo) octopus, that has been thawed.
      I don’t know how long it will take to cook frozen unthawed octopus, but it will be around double the time.

    2. RE: tough octopus. First make sure it is thawed-can do covered in tepid water in sink.

      There are many different recipes for cooking octopus, however a lady from Malta tipped me off in using an Instant Pot. Takes 15 minutes and works very well.
      โ€ข Put in octopus and adjust enough water to cover
      โ€ข Stir up
      โ€ข Close & seal lid
      โ€ข Set to manual for 15 minutes
      โ€ข When done do a natural release- leave the pressure release switch in the Sealed position when the cook time ends. This lets the pressure release slowly, without you doing anything. When the pressure is fully released, the float valve will drop and the lid will unlock and open.
      โ€ข Open and you should be able to insert a plastic toothpick or skewer with no resistance
      If you would like to add spices, here they are-just did one this way and came out with a very nice taste and tender. Was a 3 lb octopus do did it for 22 minutes.
      To the Instant Pot Add:
      3 slices gingerroot
      1 onion -chopped
      2 handfuls chopped carrots
      6 cloves garlic
      Squeeze in 1 lemon and dump in the lemon
      Some rosemary
      2 sprigs thyme
      2 tbsp oregano
      1 tbsp olive oil to coat everything stir it up
      1 tbsp peppercorns
      1 tsp sea salt
      If you would after cooking like to marinate and char it, here’s a recipe:
      Marinade I (Mediterranean) For Grilling
      ยผ cup olive oil
      3 tbsp lemon juice
      Finely grated zest of one lemon, yellow peel only
      2 tsp salt
      1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
      1 tsp Spanish smoked paprika, sweet, bittersweet or hot
      1 tsp dry oregano (I like Mexican oregano in this marinade)
      3 cloves garlic, crushed
      Instructions
      โ€ข For one to two pounds of cooked octopus, whisk together all of the ingredients-even for less I use the above amounts
      โ€ข Let sit in fridge 6 hours or overnight
      โ€ข Remove octopus from marinade; reserve marinade.
      โ€ข Heat grill to high; lightly oil grill
      โ€ข Grill octopus pieces until lightly charred, about 3 minutes per side.
      โ€ข Cut up grilled octopus and drizzle with reserved marinade.

  3. Hello,

    I am planning on making the octopus dish next weekend, and I was wondwering if I needed to tenderize the octopus before I boil it ?

    I will be purchasing a fresh one !

  4. I’m a believer, good stuff.
    Had to boil for an hour to get tender
    Even my picky daughter gave it a thumbs up. Served with salad, great combo.