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Clayton's Octopus Salad
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5 from 1 vote

Clayton's Octopus Salad

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
chilling time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

To Braise the octopus:

  • 3 lbs octopus, cleaned
  • 1 cup dry white wine + the wine cork *see notes
  • 1 whole lemon, halved
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp whole peppercorns

For the Salad:

  • 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced lengthwise and seeds removed
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise and seeds removed
  • 1/2 small red onion, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ,or more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt ,or more to taste
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice about 1 lemon

Instructions

To Braise the octopus:

  • Place the octopus, wine + the cork, halved lemon, garlic and peppercorns in a dutch oven or soup pot. Add water to the pot until the octopus is just covered by about 1 inch. Over medium high heat, bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the octopus is tender, 45 to 60 minutes.
  • Drain the octopus (discard all of the braising contents other than the octopus itself) and set the octopus aside allow it to cool to room temperature before grilling, about 20 minutes.

Make the Grilled Salad:

  • Drizzle the bell peppers and onions with olive oil and sprinkle with a little kosher salt.
  • When your grill is hot, oil the grilling grate and place the vegetables and whole octopus on the grill. Grill until octopus begins to char but still remains moist, about 3-4 minutes per side. Grill the vegetables until tender, but not soggy you'll still want them to have a subtle crunch, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
  • Transfer grilled vegetables to a cutting board and dice vegetables into small pieces. Cut octopus into 1/4 inch rounds. Using the head is completely up to you. It tastes the same and you can cut it into 1/4 inch pieces. Transfer everything to a large bowl. 
  • Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and kosher salt. Add the parsley, garlic, and lemon juice. Stir to combine all flavors. Transfer to the fridge and let chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

*Okay, so yeah. The wine cork in the braising liquid may seem odd. But word on the street is that high content of the tannin from the cork makes the octopus tender. This could be total hog-wash and it probably does nothing. So don't sweat over including this part, but if you have it, go ahead and try it!