• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Asian Caucasian Food Blog
  • Home
  • All Recipes
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • RECIPES
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • RECIPES
    • ABOUT
    • CONTACT
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Appetizers & Snacks

    Grilled Octopus with Leeks and Shallots

    January 10, 2022 · Published: August 1, 2016 By: Asian Caucasian Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    This delicious Grilled Octopus with Leeks and Shallots recipe will change your mind about cooking octopus at home! This beautiful sea creature grills up so quickly, and the taste is out of this world!

    Grilled octopus topped with herbs on a long serving platter with roasted baby potatoes, a checkered napkin and glass of wine on the side, on top of a wooden board.

    Don't be intimidated by cooking fresh octopus! Learn how to make this in your own kitchen. The result is tender, lightly seasoned and charred octopus grilled to perfection. This recipe is a must try for seafood lovers!

    My inspiration for making this dish: I recently dined at a "to-die-for" Greek restaurant in NYC called, Ethos Gallery. One of my favorite seafood dishes was the "Octapodi Sharas" (grilled octopus) on their small plates menu. Wow! My mouth was full of sheer joy!

    Octopus being boiled in a stock pot with fresh lemon halves and herbs.

    How to boil the octopus

    In a large pot of salted water, add peppercorns, lemon (squeezed), thyme, garlic, white wine, and bay leaves. Bring water to a boil. Slowly drop in whole octopus, tentacles first to avoid too much curling. Lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour.

    Where do you buy octopus?

    Where the heck do you buy octopus?  I buy mine at Whole Foods (already cleaned), but you can often find octopus at your local seafood market or at select Asian markets.

    A whole cooked octopus in an ice bath in a large clear bowl on top of a wooden board.

    Once you've boiled the octopus, bathe the octopus in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

    Octopus tentacles being grilled on a grill pan.

    Grill the octopus until nicely charred on both sides. I used my stove-top grill pan!

    The result is a tender, charred octopus with incredible flavorful! Don't worry, it seems complex but it's really not!  

    Grilled octopus topped with herbs on a long serving platter with roasted baby potatoes, a checkered napkin and glass of wine on the side, on top of a wooden board.

    This dish makes an awesome appetizer, but is filling enough for a main. Serve it with a side of Roasted Baby Potatoes with Leeks. Kalí óreksi! - which is Greek for "bon appetit!"

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    Grilled octopus topped with herbs on a long serving platter with roasted baby potatoes, a checkered napkin and glass of wine on the side, on top of a wooden board.

    Grilled Octopus with Leeks and Shallots

    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    This delicious Grilled Octopus with Leeks and Shallots recipe will change your mind about cooking octopus at home! This beautiful sea creature grills up so quickly, and the taste is out of this world! 

    • Total Time: 1 hour 45 min
    • Yield: 4-6 1x

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 25 whole peppercorns (green or black)
    • 1 large lemon, cut in half
    • 4-5 fresh thyme sprigs
    • 1 head garlic, cut in half length wise
    • 1 cup white wine
    • 2 bay leaves (fresh or dried)
    • 2 pounds fresh, cleaned whole octopus (head removed)
    • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
    • 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
    • 1 leek, cleaned and chopped (white part only)
    • 1 large shallot, chopped
    • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 2 sprigs thyme
    • Salt & pepper
    • 1 large lemon for squeezing
    • 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped

    Instructions

    1. In a large pot of salted water, add peppercorns, lemon (squeezed), thyme, garlic, white wine, and bay leaves. Bring water to a boil. Slowly drop in whole octopus, tentacles first to avoid too much curling. Lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour. Poke tentacles with a fork to check tenderness (should be very tender).
    2. When done, drain into colander and put octopus only into a large glass bowl of ice water to cool. Drain again when octopus has cooled.
    3. On a cutting board, cut tentacles into off of into individual whole pieces starting from middle of octopus (keeping tentacles intact). Place whole tentacles into a plastic baggie and add 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper to coat. Set aside to marinate, about 10 minutes.
    4. Meanwhile, heat a non-stick skillet with one tablespoon of olive oil. Add garlic, leeks, shallots, and red pepper flakes. Cook until translucent. Stir in thyme, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
    5. Heat either an outdoor grill or grill pan on high. Remove tentacles from marinade and grill until octopus has vivid char marks, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and place on a serving platter.
    6. Sprinkle veggie mixture on top of octopus and squeeze with lemon juice. Garnish with chopped parsley. (Can be served warm or at room temperature.)
    7. If desired, serve with a side of Roasted Baby Potatoes with Leeks.

    Notes

    I buy my octopus in the seafood department at Whole Foods. You can also find it at select fish markets and Asian markets.

    Adapted from: NY Times

    • Author: Asian Caucasian
    • Prep Time: 30 min
    • Cook Time: 1 hour 15 min
    • Category: Seafood
    • Method: Stove Top & Grill
    • Cuisine: Asian Fusion

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 228
    • Sugar: 0.7 g
    • Sodium: 446.6 mg
    • Fat: 8.7 g
    • Carbohydrates: 9.1 g
    • Protein: 23.3 g
    • Cholesterol: 72.5 mg

    Keywords: Grilled Octopus, Asian Grilled Octopus,

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @AsianCaucasianBlog on Instagram and hashtag  #AsianCaucasianEats

    « Roasted Baby Potatoes with Leeks
    Grilled Asian Flank Steak »

    You may also like:

    A large black bowl filled with Chinese chicken salad featuring shredded chicken, shredded carrots, broccoli slaw, scallions, water chestnuts and chow mein noodles, with a pair of brown chopsticks on top and a linen napkin on the side.

    Easy Chinese Chicken Salad

    Two bowls filled with Chinese curry chicken and potatoes with whole red chili peppers on top all placed on a white wooden board with a white spoon on the side.

    25 Easy Chinese New Year Recipes

    Two white bowls with Spicy Thai Salad with Chicken with a fork on top placed on top of a marble surface.

    20 Healthy Asian Salad Recipes

    A bowl of Furikake chex mix with a linen napkin on the side and a baking tray in the background.

    Furikake Chex Mix Recipe

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Lesli Schwartz.

    Hi, I'm Lesli! Welcome to Asian Caucasian, a healthy-ish food blog born out of a passion for home-cooked, Asian-inspired cuisine. I always cook with market-fresh ingredients and prepare simplistic, healthy Asian recipes so you can throw away those take-out menus! Come share my culinary love of beautiful Asian-fusion food, and get cooking in the kitchen! READ MORE!

    Let's Connect

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Reader Favorites!

    Easy Chinese Chicken Salad

    A large black bowl filled with Chinese chicken salad featuring shredded chicken, shredded carrots, broccoli slaw, scallions, water chestnuts and chow mein noodles, with a pair of brown chopsticks on top and a linen napkin on the side.

    25 Easy Chinese New Year Recipes

    Two bowls filled with Chinese curry chicken and potatoes with whole red chili peppers on top all placed on a white wooden board with a white spoon on the side.

    20 Healthy Asian Salad Recipes

    Two white bowls with Spicy Thai Salad with Chicken with a fork on top placed on top of a marble surface.

    Furikake Chex Mix Recipe

    A bowl of Furikake chex mix with a linen napkin on the side and a baking tray in the background.

    Christmas Popcorn Santa Munch

    Christmas popcorn Santa munch in a white bowl on top of a round wooden board with a green napkin on the side.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact Us
    • Work with Us
    • Featured In

    © 2016-2022 Asian Caucasian

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission.
    If you want to share this recipe, please provide a link back to this post for the original recipe.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT