Head to the Mediterranean region with this easy and festive recipe of grilled octopus salad, served with a pinot grigio spumante.
A sunny dish, full of freshness and flavors!
And paired with an excellent bubbly wine, who can say no?
Serving bubbles and seafood is a great way to add a chic and festive touch to any occasion, whether it’s a romantic evening for two or a dinner party.
And more than ever, nobody’s turning down an opportunity to celebrate!
That’s why when I was asked to create a recipe that would accompany the Ponte G Pinot Grigio Brut, a sparkling wine from the Veneto region, I immediately thought of an appetizer in which grilled octopus would be the star.
After all, it’s in Venice that I first tasted grilled octopus, about ten years ago.
This recipe, a grilled octopus salad served on a bed of white bean purée, is fresh and delicate. Its flavors transports us directly to the warm Mediterranean sun.
The lightly pickled onions, combined with the lemony taste of the puree and the grilled octopus, create a perfect blend of flavors.
Grilled octopus + pinot grigio spumante = happiness
Newly arrived at the SAQ Cellier, the Ponte G Pinot Grigio Brut is particularly interesting and at less than $17, a price-quality ratio hard to beat.
It is a sparkling and dry wine. Light and delicately fruity, it has aromas of apple and pear, lemon and jasmine.
With a nice acidity and a touch of minerality, this wine goes very well with the grilled octopus salad.
This sparkling wine is also very good served alone as an aperitif and also as an accompaniment to fish dishes, grilled or raw, such as ceviche, seafood puff pastries or a Greek salad.
How easy is it to cook octopus?
Although this dish looks fancy, don’t be intimidated by serving octopus.
The recipe is very simple, just the way we like it!
It’s true that cooking a whole octopus may seem intimidating but it’s relatively easy.
However, this requires a certain amount of skill and time. The chef Helena Loureiro explains it very well in this video for those who would like to start.
But for this recipe, I used already cooked octopus, sold frozen.
It is available in many fish shops and even in some grocery stores, including IGAs.
Photo: Courtesy
Once thawed, all that remains is to cook the octopus for a few minutes to give it a nice color and to warm it up a bit.
You must be careful not to overcook the octopus so it doesn’t become rubbery.
- On the barbecue: 3 to 5 minutes on medium heat
- In a skillet: 5 minutes, over medium-high heat, in a little olive oil.
Tip: Before cooking, you can use a knife to remove the membrane from the octopus (which has a slightly slimy texture).
Photo: Pixabay
Grilled octopus salad
Head to the Mediterranean region with this easy and festive recipe of grilled octopus salad, paired with a pinot grigio spumante.
Ingredients
- 2 octopus legs already cooked and thawed (about 300g) *
- ½ clove garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp. capers, drained and coarsely chopped
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice (15 ml)
- 2 tsp. sherry vinegar (10 mL)
- ¼ red onion, sliced into very thin strips (about 15 ml)
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- White bean puree (see recipe)
Just before serving
- Olive oil
- 2 teaspoons chopped parsley
- 2 teaspoons chopped chives
- Freshly ground pepper
- Salt flower
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine capers, garlic, sherry vinegar, lemon juice and red onion strips. Marinate for about 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, grill the octopus for 3 to 5 minutes on the barbecue or for 5 minutes in a frying pan with a little olive oil, until it is nicely colored**.
- Cut the octopus into pieces of about 2 cm.
- Add to the mixture of capers, vinegar and onions.
- Add the smoked paprika and a drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Mix well and place on a bed of white bean puree.
- Garnish with chopped herbs and serve immediately.
Notes
* Frozen cooked octopus is available in fish stores and many grocery stores.
** Before cooking the octopus, you can gently scrape the membrane with a small knife to clean the octopus.
Cook the octopus to give it a nice grilled coloration but be careful not to overcook it because if you do so, its texture will become rubbery.
This post is sponsored by Agile, vins et spiritueux d’Italie. However, the opinions and texts are mine.