Grilled " A la Plancha" Octopus

To share: 2 servings
Difficulty: Low
Time: 20 min
Serve it as: One-dish dinner / Starter
Calories: 86 kcal/3.5oz (100g)

HOW TO PREPARE GRILLED OCTOPUS

Ingredients

Cooked octopus from el Rey del Pulpo – Choose your format based on your needs:

Small Octopus Tentacles (0.44 lbs): Ideal for smaller portions, appetizers, or side dishes.
Large Octopus Tentacles (0.88 lbs): Best for a one-dish dinner or for sharing as a starter.

Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt or Maldon salt

METHOD

Take the octopus out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. If using frozen octopus, soak the package in water at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Slice the octopus or cut the tentacles in half, depending on what the recipe calls for.
Heat oil in a frying pan or on the grill.
Cook for a few minutes on each side until golden. Flip with a spatula or a pair of tongs.
Add sea salt or Maldon salt right before serving.

What to serve with Grilled Octopus

With some perfectly grilled octopus, you can create hundreds of recipes. Serve with a side of vegetables or potatoes, with different sauces, or as the main ingredient for a succulent salad, among many other ideas. It all hinges on that perfectly grilled octopus.

You might be interested in these delicious homemade sauces that go perfectly with octopus meat or these recipes that have grilled octopus as ingredient: butternut ‘calabaza’ squash soup with octopus or the world-wide famous greek octopus.

A FEW TIPS AND TRICKS TO MAKE THE BEST GRILLED OCTOPUS

To flip the octopus, you can use a spatula or a pair of tongs. Both are good options; it boils down to a matter of taste. However, never use a fork because the only thing that you’ll accomplish is to burn yourself. Grilled food should never be pierced so as not to lose its juices.
Always go for Arbequina extra virgin olive oil. It will give the octopus unmatched flavor.
If you want to give it a distinctive touch, rub the frying panall over with a garlic clove.
If you like it seared, add only a few drops of olive oil.
If you don’t want the oil to splatter too much, you can brush the octopus with oil using a silicone brushor apply oil to it using an oil spray instead of adding oil to the frying pan.
Do you want to delight your guests? Choose an attractive dish on which to serve your octopus. You don’t need anything else for an outstanding dish.
Remember to serve the octopus immediately after cooking it. It’s much more appetizing when it’s piping hot straight off the grill!
Frying pan or grill? If you’re able to choose, a grill is so much more preferable. Remember that both have to be spotlessly clean so that the octopus does not absorb the flavor of other foods.
If your grilled octopus will not serve as an ingredient for a recipe, you can season it with some sweet and/or hot paprika and parsley. Do not use any other spices.