4 servings
PREP TIME
10 minutes
COOKING TIME
1 hour 10 minutes
TOTAL TIME
1 hour 20 minutes
4 cups orange juice
2 limes, halved
1½ lemons, halved
1 orange, halved
2 cups white wine
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
4 carrots, cut into 4 pieces each
2 onions, quartered
3 celery stalks, cut into 4 pieces each
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
2 pounds octopus, cleaned
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups watercress
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Octopus can be an intimidating dish to cook at home. The key is to ask your local seafood counter to clean it before they wrap it up. We love this paired with our Spicy Black-Eyed Peas and Carrot Curry Puree. Plated together, these three sides make a rich, filling, colorful platter of good stuff.
In a 6-quart pot, combine the orange juice, citrus fruits (squeezing in the juice before adding the fruits to the pot), wine, thyme, bay leaves, carrots, onions, celery, and peppercorns and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Once boiling, add the octopus and lower the heat to a simmer. Add water if needed to cover the octopus. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 1 hour, or until the octopus lacks resistance when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. You can also cut off and bite into a small piece of the octopus to test its firmness. It should be tender but still have a springy bite to it.
Preheat a large cast-iron grill pan over high heat.
Remove the octopus from the liquid and cut it into large serving pieces, brush them with half of the oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill quickly until the outside browns but the inside is not dried out, about 2 minutes per side.
Quickly toss the watercress with the remaining oil and the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Plate the grilled octopus and top with watercress salad for a great contrast of textures and flavors.