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Photo of Spanish Octopus by Chef John
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Spanish Octopus

Rated as 4.8 out of 5 Stars
22 made it  |  4 reviews   |  5 photos
64k

Recipe by:

"Above and beyond the ingredients, the cooking method, or should I say methods, couldn't be easier. As long as you braise it gently on low heat, until just tender, and then give it a nice sear before serving, you should be in great shape. This smoky braised octopus is great served with crusty roasted potatoes."
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Ingredients

3 h 22 m servings 513
Original recipe yields 2 servings

Directions

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  1. Place chopped onion, garlic cloves, bay leaf, paprika, salt, and 1 tablespoon olive oil into saucepan. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until onions start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add white wine to create the braising liquid. Bring to a simmer.
  2. Transfer octopus into braising liquid, turning to coat with the liquid. Cover; reduce heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes and turn octopus over. Continue cooking until octopus is tender, another 40 to 45 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat; transfer octopus to a large bowl. Pour braising liquid over octopus. Place bowl above a bowl of ice water to cool to room temperature.
  4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap when octopus and liquid are cool. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.
  5. Transfer octopus to a work surface and mop off braising juices with paper towels; remove as much of the purple skin as you want. Cut octopus into 3 or 4 serving-size pieces. Brush with olive oil.
  6. Transfer braising liquid to saucepan. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Strain out solids; transfer liquid to a mixing bowl; let cool about 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, parsley, salt, and cayenne pepper to make the serving sauce.
  7. Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to high heat. Transfer octopus pieces to grill. Cook until flesh is seared, almost charred, 3 or 4 minutes. Turn and cook other side until dark brown, caramelized, and heated through, another 3 or 4 minutes. Transfer to a platter.
  8. Slice octopus into fairly thick diagonal slices. Place on a serving dish. Spoon braising liquid mixture over the top. Dust with a bit of cayenne pepper, if desired.
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Footnotes

  • Chef's Note:
  • I love to serve braised octopus with crusty roasted potatoes.

Nutrition Facts


Per Serving: 513 calories; 29.7 15 35.1 109 2046 Full nutrition

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Reviews

Read all reviews 4
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Loved it!

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Definatley an amazing recipe, as for changes I added a bit more white wine total of 1 1/2 cup. Other than that it's one of the best octopus dishes I've done.

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Pretty good. I'll add more salt and get a larger octopus next time. 2.2 lb was too small.

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Better than the one my mother use to make, I wish they were alive this would have given them extra 10 years

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