Grilled Octopus

Ingredients

• 2.6 lboctopus, cleaned
• 3/8 cupextra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbspred wine vinegar
• 2lemons, one juiced, one in wedges
• 2 tspdried oregano
• 3bay leaves
• 1 tspsea salt
• 1/2 tspblack pepper
• 1/4 ozflat-leaf parsley, chopped

Method

1. 1

   Put the octopus in a heavy pan with the bay leaves and no liquid at all, cover it, and cook over low heat. Within ten minutes it will have released enough of its own juices to poach in.

2. 2

   Push a knife into the thickest part of a tentacle where it meets the head. It should go in with almost no resistance. If it does not, give it another ten minutes and test again.

3. 3

   Cut the tentacles away from the head and toss them while still warm with the olive oil, vinegar and half the oregano. Leave them to take it up.

4. 4

   Get a griddle pan or barbecue as hot as it goes and grill the tentacles until they are blistered and blackened along the ridges, turning once.

5. 5

   Pile it onto a plate, squeeze the lemon juice over, then finish with the remaining oregano, the parsley, salt, pepper and the rest of the marinade. Serve with lemon wedges.