michelle picker cooks

Here’s a simple way to prepare wonderfully tender grilled octopus. Serve with lemon wedges as a starter or with crusty bread and salad for lunch.

If you boil octopus for long enough it becomes nice and tender. If you have a pressure cooker, even better. Place the cleaned tentacles or whole octopus in a pot and fill with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 – 60 minutes until the thickest part of a tentacle gives minimal resistance when cut into with a knife. If you have a pressure cooker this will take only 12-15 minutes – make sure to bring the pressure down quickly when finished or the octopus will become too soft. Allow the octopus to cool in the cooking water and if you have even more time, chilling will help to keep the skin intact. When you’re ready to grill rub some olive oil onto the octopus and season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat until hot and a little browned. Drizzle with some good quality olive oil and serve.