Greek: Grilled Octopus

Recipe by Paul Young <info@cooking-with-paul.com>

(serves 3)

Ingredients:

• 4½ lbs frozen octopus, defrosted and cleaned
• ¼ cups olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ½ cup Ladolemono dressing
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Defrost octopus in refrigerator for 24 hours
2. Clean octopus under cold running water (cut open the head and remove the innards)
3. Add ¼ cup of water in soup pot, add octopus and simmer for 1 to 2 hours or until tender (the octopus will secrete its own water)
4. Rinse under cold water, chill in ice water for about 5 minutes (this will help the “skin” from falling off)
5. Pry out the “beak” with a paring knife
6. Transfer cooked octopus to a bowl, add olive oil and lemon juice, mix thoroughly
7. Grill octopus over hot charcoal (or broil) until brown and crispy on the outside (about 5-10 minutes on each side)
8. Chop grilled octopus into bite size pieces
9. Toss grilled octopus with dressing, parsley, and liquid smoke (if desired); adjust seasoning and serve