I love shellfish, but Hank is allergic. It’s not so severe that he can’t be near it – whenever we’re in Maine, after he quickly finishes his fish ’n chips, he waits patiently as I work my way through every bit of my lobster – however it does mean that I rarely cook shellfish at home.

But when we have a guest who likes shellfish, I sometimes like to treat myself, and not too long ago I was able to do so, and I served soft shell crab sandwiches for lunch and grilled octopus for dinner!

I’ve already posted about how I make soft shell crab sandwiches here, and, I think, perhaps the season is now over for 2020, sad to say.

As for octopus... I had never made octopus until about a year ago when I made an octopus salad for the Guido’s Cookbook Club. How I miss the Guido’s Cookbook Club, not only for all the wonderful food we share, but also for all the friends I’ve made through this group. While I am glad we will be meeting virtually next month, it won’t be the same.

In any event, for May 2019, the cookbook club selection was Food of the Italian South by Katie Parla. As my offering for our potluck, I selected octopus and potato salad, something with shellfish that I don’t normally get to cook at home, and something that was new and challenging for me, as is often my habit for cookbook club. (I know octopus isn’t a crustacean, it’s a cephalopod, a type of mollusk, so, understandably, we are wary and in our household it belongs in the ‘shellfish’ category.)

I had never made octopus before – and just recently it was only my second attempt. I had read many times that it’s difficult to cook octopus, that it can get tough easily. So I was quite pleasantly surprised to find it quite simple. I could only find frozen octopus, and perhaps that is the key. I’ve read all sorts of tricks for keeping octopus tender – including hitting it against the pier after catching it, or tossing a cork into the pot while cooking – but I also vaguely remember that a previously frozen octopus will be more tender.

The salad I made a year ago was phenomenal, with potatoes, green beans, and olives. This time, after cooking the octopus on the stove, I put it on the grill for a slight char and served it over pasta along with leftover, room temperature baked eggplant and tomatoes (recipe found here although in the photo, this time, without tahini) and other leftover roasted veggies. So delicious, and I got my shellfish indulgence!

Grilled Octopus

Serves 2-3, or more, depending on accompaniments and the size of the octopus

1 octopus, frozen (the other bonus of frozen octopus is that it’s usually cleaned already)

1 cup dry white wine

1 small onion, cut in half

Strips of orange zest from one orange, removed with a vegetable peeler

1 teaspoon whole peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

½ teaspoon smoked paprika, or to taste

Allow the cleaned octopus to defrost in the refrigerator overnight. You may want to place it in a baking dish to catch any drips.

Place the octopus into a large pot with the wine, onion, orange zest, peppercorns, bay leaves, and rosemary. Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 45 minutes, checking periodically to maintain a vigorous simmer, but not a full boil. (It may not seem like enough liquid at first, but the octopus will release liquid as it cooks.)

The salad I brought to Guido’s Cookbook Club about a year ago.

After 45 minutes, remove from the heat and allow the octopus to cool in the pot.

Remove the octopus from the pot, and, using paper towels, wipe down the body and tentacles of the octopus. Discard everything else in the pot.

Cut each leg from the body. If any legs of the octopus are especially long, cut in half for ease of grilling. Check the body for any remaining cartilage and discard if you find any. Cut the body into pieces that can be easily managed on the grill.

Place the octopus pieces on a plate or in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika.

Heat the grill to medium. Place the octopus pieces on the grill for 3-4 minutes, turning as needed to char all over. You may need to keep the tiny ends of the legs over a cooler part of the grill so they don’t burn.

Serving suggestions include: over pasta with grilled or roasted vegetables and a wedge of lemon; as an appetizer with white beans or chickpeas and a drizzle of olive oil and some lemon juice; or in a salad with boiled potatoes, steamed green beans, olives, and a simple vinaigrette.

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Shellfish Indulgence