Tart London: How to make chargrilled octopus

Jemima Jones and Lucy Carr-Ellison discover that smoky barbecued octopus is worth a few squeals

24 August 2017

Santorini, one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea, is among the most magical places we have been to. Devastated by a massive volcanic eruption more than 3,000 years ago, it is still dramatically beautiful in an arid kind of way, with glorious whitewashed, cubiform houses on the clifftops. Even though the island feels rather stripped of nature with very few trees, the volcanic ash has left the soil rich in nutrients. This is perfect for growing vines, and makes for the most delectable tomatoes and wines.

Despite depressing tales of overfishing, fresh seafood seems in abundance. Every day on a recent visit, lunch was a feast of Santorini produce: Greek salads, tzatziki, fried aubergine and courgette and barbecued fish. But most delightful of all was the charred octopus. The tentacled creatures hang on lines outside tavernas, drying out in the sun before hitting the flames. Simple yet fantastic, and crying out for a cold glass of Santorini white wine.

When we got back to London we ordered an octopus from The Fish Society, with no idea how to prepare and serve it. Soon we found ourselves staring into Jemima’s kitchen sink as cold water poured over its jelly-ish body and long, slimy tentacles. Worst of all we could see its beady eyes staring at us. It took a lot of squeamish squeals to pick it up, but finally we were cooking our alien monster with onions, garlic and bay, before slicing the tentacles from its head and slapping them on to our Big Green Egg barbecue. Charring is definitely our favourite way to eat octopus: it gives it a smoky taste, a crispy exterior and tender, soft insides. This is a brilliant dish, and well worth all the squeals beforehand.

Prepping in paradise: Jemima crushes spices for lunch en Provence

Chargrilled Octopus

Ingredients: (serves 4)

For the octopus

1 octopus

1 onion, quartered

1 head of garlic, chopped in half

2 bay leaves

1 red chilli

Large tbsp black peppercorns

1 lemon, quartered

1 large glass of white wine

For the butter bean purée

75g butter

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 leek, sliced

Small bunch of sage, chopped

2 400g tins of butter beans, drained

1 small glass of white wine

salt and pepper

For the salsa

200g sweet tomatoes, deseeded and finely chopped

½ red onion, finely chopped

1 red chilli, chopped

1 tbsp chopped oregano

1 tbsp chopped basil

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Parsley and juice of half a lemon, to serve

Method:

Place the octopus in a large pan with the onion, garlic, bay leaves, chilli, peppercorns, lemon and white wine. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 1 hour, until tender when pierced with a knife. Drain and leave to cool.

To make the butter bean purée, heat the butter in a pan over a medium heat, add the garlic, leek and sage and cook for 5 to 8 minutes until soft. Add the butter beans and coat in the leek mixture, then add the white wine, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes, then use a spoon to break up the beans and take off the heat.

Once cooled, blend in a food processor until smooth. To make the salsa, simply stir all the ingredients together.

Finally, to char the octopus, light the BBQ and let the coals get very hot. Pull the tentacles from the head, then discard the head and any skin still attached to the tentacles. Coat with olive oil, salt and pepper, then place on the barbecue and char for about 10 minutes until nice and crisp. Spread the purée over the platter, then spoon over the salsa. Place the octopus on top, and finish with the parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.

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Tart London: How to make chargrilled octopus

Chargrilled Octopus

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