Every tried Octopus? It’s one of those classic dishes served along the shored of the Mediterranean with bright lemon, herb and olive oil flavors. It’s usually grilled and so we’re making grilled octopus recipe today.
We love speciality seafood recipes like Green Mussels and Chilean Sea Bass, Halibut, Mediterranean Baked Fish, Lobster Tail, Scallops, Tuna Carpaccio, Tuna Tartare, Calamari, Salmon Tartare and my grandma’s Sardines recipe, and more! So sharing this recipe feels so natural and seriously a MUST try!
Why Grilled Octopus
So if you’ve tried octopus at a restaurant, you’ll know how pricey it is, and yet how tasty it is! And if you haven’t, then this is your call to make it at home!
You’ll love it because :
- It’s loaded with the bright flavors of lemon, olive oil, herbs, garlic and a hint of spice.
- The octopus is so tender, not chewy or rubbery!
- The recipe is so easy!
- You can serve it as an appetizer, it’s similar to Calamari except without the frying.
- If you’re into spice, you can kick up the spice level or drop it off completely.
- Use whatever herbs you have on hand–make it to your taste.
- This grilled octopus recipe can be made in an indoor grill or outdoor grill–so it’s a great choice for summer BBQ!
- It’s an old family recipe.
- Your family and friends will LOVE it!
Ingredients for Grilled Octopus
There are two sets of ingredients here.
- Octopus– defrosted if frozen.
- Onions, Whole Spice, Lemon halves, seasoning to boil the octopus.
- Garlic, lemon juice, herbs, chillies and olive oil to marinate the octopus before grilling.
How to Make Grilled Octopus Recipe
- The first step is to set a pot of water with the flavorings like onions, whole spice, herbs, lemon halves, salt and pepper to a boil.
- This step is crucial to cook octopus of any size: small, medium or large. Boiling will make the octopus super tender.
- Now grab your octopus and drop it to the boiling water, tentacles go in first. It’s best to drop the tentacles first gently with an up and down motion to curl them up.
- Depending on the size of your octopus, the boiling process may take anywhere between 45 minutes to 1 hour and half. Remove the octopus from the boiling water.
- Use a knife to slice up the tentacles of the octopus and now it’s ready to marinade.
- You’ll need a bowl or shallow plate to add in all the ingredients. Here you can totally add more or less of your favorite spices, herbs, shallots, more or less garlic etc. It will taste GOOD no matter what! We have a combo of fresh oregano thyme , parsley, dill and rosemary here.
- Have your octopus sit in the flavorful mixture for 1 hour at least, and even overnight. It will soak up all those flavors beautifully! Also don’t discard this marinade when grilling as you can always brush the octopus with it.
- Now it’s time to grill! Indoor or outdoor grill works great. Since the octopus is already cooked through, you’re basically grilling it for flavor, so don’t worry about it being raw and no need for a thermometer here.
- Flip the octopus after 3-7 minutes depending on the size and it’s ready to serve!
Grilled Octopus Tips and FAQ
- You can use any size octopus for this recipe, we used baby octopus here. The cooking time is the only variable to consider.
- Make sure to have your fishmonger clean up the heads for you.
- If buying frozen octopus , defrost it well at first.
- Boiling the octopus makes it tender and cooked through so you don’t need to worry about it while grilling.
- Make sure it’s cooking on a gentle simmer.
- Avoid over boiling the octopus as it becomes dry and tasteless
- The marinade we used here is purely a Mediterranean one, a family recipe ❤️ However you can swap ingredients and make it your own!
- Let the octopus soak up the marinade for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- Make sure not to discard the marinade as it will be used to brush the octopus with.
- An indoor grill or outdoor grill can be used for the recipe.
Why Make Octopus At Home?
It’s much easier than you think! Plus you can customize the taste and flavors, and you’re guaranteed tender octopus as you control cooking! Octopus is one of the pricey items on the menu, so make it at home and impress your family and friends!
What size octopus to use?
There’s no perfect size, while we prefer baby to medium size octopus, I know some prefer the large size. As mentioned above, cooking time is the only factor to consider, not the size.
Why do you need to boil Octopus?
The main goal is to make it tender by breaking down the tissue collagen in the muscle into soft gelatin.
How long to Boil Octopus?
Baby octopus will require 45 mins-1 hour of boiling time. Medium sized octopus needs 1 hour-75 minutes, while larger octopus may need between 1 hour and half to 2 hours. You’ll know as you feel how tender the meat is. Make sure the water is on a gentle simmer.
Can you cook octopus in advance?
You can boil the octopus a day in advance, and have it marinate in the fridge. Another option is to cook the octopus and freeze it without marinade, then defrost it and marinate it for a day before grilling.
Easy Seafood Recipes
Sockeye Salmon With Lemon Butter Sauce
Grilled Octopus
Grilled Octopus is a Mediterranean delicacy, and today we're making this phenomenal Octopus recipe step by step with video. Tender and loaded with flavor, you'll fall in love with this delicious family recipe!
Ingredients
Octopus
- 2 octopus small-medium size, or your choice
- 6 cups water
- 1 onion cut in hlaf
- 4 slices lemon
- 1 Tablespoon peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon Sea salt
- 1 cup fresh herbs combo of your choice
- 2 bay leaves
Marinade
- 1 cup olive oil Mina Moroccan Olive oil is our favorite
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup herbs minced: combo of oregano, thyme, dill parsley and rosemary
- 1 Jalapeño minced, or any type of chillies
- 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper
Instructions
-
Prepare the octopus first by brining the water and all remaining ingredients (except for the octopus) to a boil.
-
Once boiling, gently drop the octopus tentacles first until they curl up, then add the whole octopus in.
-
Lower the heat to low and have the octopus cook on low simmer until it's tender. This may take between 45 minutes-1.5 hours depending on the size of it.
-
Remove the octopus from the how water pan and use a knife to slice the tentacles into strips.
-
In a shallow plate, add all the marinade ingredients.
-
Add the octopus tentacles into the marinade and toss well to coat. Let it sit for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
-
Preheat your indoor or outdoor grill and grill the tentacles flipping every 3 minutes for a nice charred crust. Brush with the remaining marinade for maximum flavor.
-
Serve right away and enjoy
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Grilled Octopus Tips and FAQ
- You can use any size octopus for this recipe, we used baby octopus here. The cooking time is the only variable to consider.
- Make sure to have your fishmonger clean up the heads for you.
- If buying frozen octopus , defrost it well at first.
- Boiling the octopus makes it tender and cooked through so you don't need to worry about it while grilling.
- Make sure it's cooking on a gentle simmer.
- Avoid over boiling the octopus as it becomes dry and tasteless
- The marinade we used here is purely a Mediterranean one, a family recipe ❤️ However you can swap ingredients and make it your own!
- Let the octopus soak up the marinade for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- Make sure not to discard the marinade as it will be used to brush the octopus with.
- An indoor grill or outdoor grill can be used for the recipe.
Why Make Octopus At Home?
It's much easier than you think! Plus you can customize the taste and flavors, and you're guaranteed tender octopus as you control cooking! Octopus is one of the pricey items on the menu, so make it at home and impress your family and friends!
What size octopus to use?
There's no perfect size, while we prefer baby to medium size octopus, I know some prefer the large size. As mentioned above, cooking time is the only factor to consider, not the size.
Why do you need to boil Octopus?
The main goal is to make it tender by breaking down the tissue collagen in the muscle into soft gelatin.
How long to Boil Octopus?
Baby octopus will require 45 mins-1 hour of boiling time. Medium sized octopus needs 1 hour-75 minutes, while larger octopus may need between 1 hour and half to 2 hours. You'll know as you feel how tender the meat is. Make sure the water is on a gentle simmer.
Can you cook octopus in advance?
You can boil the octopus a day in advance, and have it marinate in the fridge. Another option is to cook the octopus and freeze it without marinade, then defrost it and marinate it for a day before grilling.
Octopus combined with zesty lemon, aromatic herbs, and garlic is so flavorful. Grilling takes it to a whole new level, giving it a delightful smokiness that complements the dish perfectly. What a great recipe!
I have never made octopus at home before but you’ve inspired me to give it a try! This looks delicious!
I love octopus but I’ve always been afraid to make it at home. This recipe looks wonderful and I can’t wait to try it out!
I’ve never tried octopus before but this looks like a very straightforward recipe. The ingredients in the marinade sound delicious.
I love calamari so looking forward to trying this grilled version as I am sure it’s much healthier!