Grilled Octopus (Pulpo a las Brasas)

This was the  octopus I made last night.  It looked great but was not perfect.

I must admit that my experiment of broiling the octopus instead of grilling as specified in the recipe was not a total success.  The octopus was tender and juicy and very flavorful but it definitely needs to be quickly charred on the grill.  But I am posting the recipe for those who have a grill.

I did do something with the leftover octopus that turned out wonderfully.  I cut it into bite-size pieces and made a vinaigrette by pureeing 2 fresh garlic cloves with salt and some of the leftover cooked jalapeno slices in the food processor.  I then added the juice of 2 limes and some extra-virgin olive oil and whirled it until thickened, poured it over the octopus and let it sit. It was delicious.

One 3-pound fresh octopus, cleaned

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

4 bay leaves

3 sprigs thyme

1 teaspoons salt

1 medium-sized unpeeled white onion

1 unpeeled head garlic

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, slivered

1 medium white onion, cut in thick slices or wedges

3 jalapenos, cut in rings, with seeds

Salt to taste

Juice of 1 lime plus lime slices

Place the octopus with the peppercorns. bay leaves, thyme, whole onion and garlic in a small pot.  Add water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat, skim off the froth that rises to the top; lower heat to maintain a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 45 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool in the cooking liquid.

Prepare a grill preferably  with hardwood coals.  Drin and dry off the octopus with paper towels. When almost ready, heat the olive oil until rippling; add the garlic and onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the jalapeno slices and cook for another minute or two and season with salt and lime juice.

Grill the octopus for about 1 minute on each side.  Transfer to a platter and cover with the onion-jalapeno mixture and serve immediately with the sliced limes.

Scanned Photo: Laurie Smith  from my book Zarela’s Veracruz (Houghon Mifflin, 2001)

to my neighborhood fish market for the good prices while I test the recipes for this section