So you look at a recipe like this one and think: “GOSH!!! Looks soooo good but it must take sooooo much time to make and be sooooo hard!”. That’s where an image can completely fool you. This is one of my easiest fancy recipes! Whenever I decide to impress my special guests, I pop this out and it’s inevitable, I get the WOW factor! And guess what. I took a close look at my recipe and calculated this for you: it only took me about 20 minutes of my precious time to make. YEP! 20 minutes. Ok, there’s a whole lot of cooking and waiting time but other than that, it’s super straightforward and easy to make. Who ever said impressive needs to be complicated? So come on. Next time you want to prepare a fabulous dinner for your better half or special guests, try to make octopus as a first course and you’re bound to feel amazing about yourself. You ARE a great chef; you CAN make amazing recipes!!!
Oh yeah, and if you’re wondering where to get your octopus, head to your favourite fish market. You can buy it fresh (it’s usually thawed) or frozen and just thaw it yourself.
Cheers!
Grilled Octopus With Feta, Kalamata and Lemon Lentil Salad Preparation time: 20 minute – Cook time: 1 1/2 hours – Serves: 8
Level : GROWN UP
INGREDIENTS For poached octopus
1 medium octopus (you can buy half an octopus if you want to make a smaller quantity)
1 lemon, cut in half
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp pickling spices
5 cardamom grains
3 habanero peppers
10 pepper grains
Salt
For marinade
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp chopped capers
Salt and pepper
For lentil salad
4 cups cooked Dupuy lentils (about 2 cups dry)
2 shallots, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
75 grams feta cheese, finely chopped
1/2 cup kalamata olives, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
zest and juice of 1 lemon
PREPARATION
Pre-heat your oven at 300˚F.
In a large cauldron (the octoupus needs to fit in it!) heat some salted water. Add the lemons halves, the pickling spices, cardamom, habaneros and pepper grains. Bring to a boil. Cut the heat. Gently add the octopus to the water. Cover and put in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours (you could also put over low heat on the burner but I somehow much prefer the oven method). Once cooked, discard the liquid and let the octopus cool down. Be careful when manipulating, it’s going to be fragile! Cut the tentacles from the head and discard the latter.
In a large bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients and add the cooked tentacles. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours (it can also be over night).
In a bowl, put your cooked lentils and add all the other ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you plan on making your lentil salad the day before serving (because yes, it’s possible!), hold on to the lemon and lemon zest and add it just before serving so your salad doesn’t become too bitter.
When ready to serve, heat up your BBQ real hot (or oven on broil) and simply grill your octopus. With my BBQ it only took me about 2-3 minutes to reach the desired coloring/grilling.
Put a nice tentacle over a bed of lentil salad, decorate and serve!
