OCTOPUS MARINADE RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine octopus, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, 1 teaspoon salt, garlic and 1 lemon, cut in half, in saucepan along with water to cover. Turn heat to medium, cover, and bring to boil. Adjust heat so that liquid simmers slowly, and cook until octopus is tender, for 30 to 90 minutes, depending on whether you're using two smaller octopuses or 1 larger one (check for doneness with point of sharp knife). Drain, discarding everything but octopus. (You can prepare this 24 hours in advance up to this point; cover, and refrigerate octopus.) Set aside.
• Start charcoal or wood fire, or preheat gas grill; fire should be quite hot. Grill rack about 4 inches from heat source. Cut octopus into large serving pieces, brush it with half the olive oil, and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Grill it quickly until outside browns but inside is not dried out. Cut remaining lemon into wedges.
• Brush octopus with remaining olive oil. Serve with lemon wedges, hot or at room temperature, garnished with parsley.

Steps:

• Wash the octopus well under cold running water. If not prepped already, remove the beak, ink sac and eyes, or ask the fishmonger to do it for you. Put into a large pan with the bay, onion, carrot, celery and peppercorns.
• Pour over cold water, until the octopus is covered. Cover with an upside down saucer if it won’t completely submerge. Bring to a boil, and simmer gently with the lid on for 1 – 1½ hours. Check after 1 hour by testing one of the tentacles with a knife. It should easily go through without much resistance. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool completely in the liquid.
• Drain the cooled octopus and cut into bite-size pieces. Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, garlic and oregano in a large bowl with some salt. Add the octopus pieces, and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• Heat a griddle pan to high, and drain the octopus from the marinade. Sear the pieces for 2-3 minutes until heated through and starting to crisp and char. Transfer to a serving plate and sear the remaining pieces. Squeeze over the lemon, add a pinch more oregano and a little sea salt to serve.