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This easy grilled octopus recipe makes tender, lightly seasoned octopus with just the right char.
It’s a dish you’d expect in a Greek seaside taverna, but it’s simple enough to prepare at home.
Paired with a crisp salad and a glass of chilled white wine, it’s an appetizer (or light dinner) that seafood lovers shouldn’t miss.
I live in Europe now and go to Greece quite often.
I rarely happen to taste a better cooked octopus than mine.
This cooking method is amazing!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The boil-then-grill method guarantees tender every time. No rubbery texture, no guessing — the simmering does the work, and the grill adds the char in just 3–4 minutes per side.
- It tastes like something you’d order at a Greek taverna. That’s not an accident — this is the method I’ve tested many times after eating octopus all over Greece.
Ingredients For Homemade Octopus
- fresh octopus (baby, medium, or large)
- Olive oil
- garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- lemon juice
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- dried oregano
- fresh parsley, chopped
How to Make Grilled Octopus
The key is the boil first.
Place the octopus in a large pot, cover with water, and simmer for 40–60 minutes — about 45 minutes per 2 pounds.
You’ll know it’s ready when a fork slides easily into the thickest part where the head meets the tentacles.
Once it comes out of the pot, drizzle it with olive oil and chopped garlic and let it rest for 30–60 minutes.
That resting time is what gives you the flavor.
After that the grill does the work in minutes.
Cut the tentacles into 2–3 inch pieces, grill on medium-high for 3–4 minutes per side until you get that light char, then finish with lemon juice, oregano, and parsley.
No grill? A hot cast iron skillet works just as well.
Recipe Tips
- Portions: Plan on – 1 pound per person if serving as a main.
- Frozen vs. Fresh: Fresh octopus tastes better, but frozen can work – thaw fully before boiling.
- Tenderizing: Freezing overnight naturally tenderizes octopus if using fresh.
- Flavor Boosts: Add bay leaf or peppercorns to the boiling water for subtle flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Small to medium octopus cook faster and are easier to handle, but large octopus works if boiled longer.
Yes — boiling ensures tenderness. Grilling alone will leave octopus tough and chewy.
Pierce with a fork where the tentacles meet the head. If it slides in easily, it’s ready.
Classic Mediterranean flavors: olive oil, lemon, garlic, oregano, parsley. Add thyme, rosemary, or chives if you like.
Serving Suggestions
- As an appetizer with a glass of chilled white wine.
- With a light salad like my Cucumber Radish Salad.
Easy Grilled Octopus Recipe
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
Video
Instructions
- Place octopus in a pot and cover with enough water. Bring to a boil. Boil for 40 minutes. The rule is 40–60 min, about 45 min per 2 lb.
- 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. Alternatively cook in a pan on the stove top.
- 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
- Best size: Baby or medium octopus works best, but large can be used too.
- How long to boil: Simmer for 40–60 minutes (about 45 minutes per 2 lbs). Test by inserting a fork where the head meets the tentacles. It should slide in and out easily.
- Seasoning ideas: Drizzle with lemon juice (or vinegar), olive oil, garlic, oregano, parsley. Other herbs like thyme, rosemary, and chives work well too.
- Serving suggestions: Pairs beautifully with crisp salads, feta cheese, olives, and capers.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Other Seafood Recipes:
- Something for a weeknight dinner – Sablefish In Foil
- For taco lovers, my kids’ favorite Blackened Cod Fish Tacos
- In just a few minutes you can make tender Grilled Mahi Mahi fish
I did mine last night added touch of chilli, since Asian running in my blood 😊 And it was excellent. Thank you for the recipe. Easy and briliant
Great! Glad you liked it Dian!
Scrumptious and so easy! Served it with dirty rice, greens and hot sauce.
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 it’s tender? Any help would be much appreciated!
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.
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.
• Put in octopus and adjust enough water to cover
• Stir up
• Close & seal lid
• Set to manual for 15 minutes
• 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.
• 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
¼ 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
• For one to two pounds of cooked octopus, whisk together all of the ingredients-even for less I use the above amounts
• Let sit in fridge 6 hours or overnight
• Remove octopus from marinade; reserve marinade.
• Heat grill to high; lightly oil grill
• Grill octopus pieces until lightly charred, about 3 minutes per side.
• Cut up grilled octopus and drizzle with reserved marinade.
How thick should the sliced tentacles should be?
It doesn’t matter, I usually cut into bite sized pieces.
Good morning
Would you please add me to your regular recipe mailing out list
Thank you
Don
Ye, I’ll add you. Thanks!
I’m going to make this for Christmas Eve dinner.
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 !
There is no need to tenderize it.
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.
tried it. Glad to have found out about boiling it and letting it rest which is the key to having this whole thing work out. I skimmed the instructions so did not read about cleaning the octopus. It still was great but the boil sure wanted to bubble over. I also did not put oil on the octopus when grilling and put on after which I thought helped give it that outer crispiness. Will do again, closer to the instructions.
Ew, I don’t like frozen seafood. Ew.
Octopus is intentionally being freezed to make it more tender after defrosting. If you don’t like frozen – get it fresh.