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Home Uncategorized

Crispy marinated baby octopus

By:Nagi
Published:21 Feb '23Updated:24 Feb '23
61 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Here’s an easy, outrageously delicious way to cook baby octopus: simmered until tender, marinated in bold Mediterranean flavours, then seared until crispy. Add a Greek Salad, bread for mopping and a glass of chilled wine for the perfect summer meal!

Close up of Crispy marinated baby octopus

Crispy marinated baby octopus

Introducing……the RecipeTin Family baby octopus recipe! Tightly held for years, I’ve finally been granted permission to share. I’m completely mad for it – and I’m hoping to make you fall in love with it too.

I know octopus is a mystery to many, unsure how to approach cooking it. So my goal today is to show you how straightforward it actually is and convince you how unbelievably delicious it is! Think – tender flesh with crispy legs, infused with a stack of Mediterranean lemon-garlic flavour. You don’t need any special equipment, and there’s no fiddly preparation required.

A note on the octopus debate – As with a number of other foods, such as veal, and even Australia’s favourite fish – salmon – there are ethical debates regarding the consumption of octopus. For octopus, the conversation centres around its intelligence and sustainable farming. I choose to play my part by sourcing octopus from sustainable Australian sources. Ask your fish monger. They should know!

Crispy marinated baby octopus with a potato side salad
Platter of crispy baby octopus with a side of crushed lemon-potatoes drizzled with residual octopus marinade (it’s so good!)
Making Crispy marinated baby octopus
The octopus is braised until tender (~ 1 hour)
Marinating baby octopus
Then marinated in garlic-lemon-olive oil

Grilling Crispy marinated baby octopus
Then BBQ’d until crispy! (Or pan-fry)

How to cook baby octopus so it’s tender – with crispy legs!

There seems to be a lot of information “out there” for tips and tricks to tenderise octopus. I don’t get why – it’s simple. Just simmer on a low heat until it’s tender. It usually takes 1 hour, irrespective of octopus size (baby octopus or legs of large ones), and you can just pull one out at any time to check.

Once it’s tender, you could eat it as is, just drizzled with a dressing or a sauce (try chimichurri, romesco or Sauce Vierge). But I like to marinate it in a bold Mediterranean lemon-garlic marinade to infuse with flavour then sear until crispy!

How to make Crispy marinated baby octopus
  1. Braise until tender – Simmer the octopus with aromatics over low heat for 1 hour or until it is tender, checking first at 45 minutes. The braising liquid actually has a proper name, court-bouillon, which is a quickly cooked broth commonly used for poaching seafoods.

    To check if the octopus is tender, take it out of the pot, cut one leg and have a nibble to check. We want it tender, not tough and chewy. But not overly soft and mushy.

    For the baby octopus size I get, it’s usually bang on 1 hour. If they are a little larger, it can take 70 minutes or so. If smaller, they might be done around the 50 minute mark. Expect large octopus legs to take around the same time, despite being thicker. It’s kind of like cooking chuck beef – there’s a minimum time it takes for the meat fibres to breakdown irrespective of the size of the meat you are cooking (small beef stew cubes vs a whole pot roast).

  2. Drain – Once the octopus is tender, drain in a colander then pick out all the bits – bay leaves, onion etc, as best you can. No need to be meticulous here, it’s fine if there’s little bits stuck in the octopus.

How to make Crispy marinated baby octopus
  1. Marinate 24 hours – Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl, then pour over the octopus in a bowl or container and toss well. Be sure to do this while the octopus is still hot because it is porous and will absorb the marinade better.

    Cool completely then cover and refrigerate to marinate for 12 to 24 hours. Don’t shortcut the marinating time! It’s really worth it, for flavour infusion into the octopus. I tested it with a 6 hour marinate and it had noticeably less flavour.

  2. Sear until crispy! Cook the octopus on the BBQ or in a large skillet on the stove until the legs are golden and crispy. Over medium high heat, it only takes around 4 to 5 minutes. Rotate regularly to get colour all over, but give the octopus most sear-time sitting upright which will get the legs nice and crispy. Everybody’s favourite part!!

To serve, pile the octopus on a platter, drizzle with lemon juice, sprinkle with parsley and chilli and add some fresh lemon wedges so people can add more lemon to taste.

Crispy marinated baby octopus with potato side dish
Sides pictured with the bay octopus – Greek Salad and crushed potato salad (directions in recipe notes!)

The “hard and fast” method – Octopus can also be cooked by searing very quickly over high heat, like steak. The flesh will be tender although chewier than the slow-simmer method I’m sharing today. Although I’ve had great quick-seared octopus in my time, I find that the quality of octopus really comes into play. Today’s braising method is safer – and to be honest, I prefer it because you can get more flavour in the dish!

What you need to make crispy marinated octopus

The baby octopus

Well, firstly, we need baby octopus. 🙂 It is sold fresh or frozen at seafood shops. If frozen, let it thaw and drain off the excess water before using.

The octopus should be sold already cleaned which means the beak (bone like piece on the head) has been removed. The skin should still be on and we will not be removing it because it softens when cooked.

TIP: You can speed up thawing by putting the frozen octopus in a sink filled with water.

Raw baby octopus
Raw baby octopus

Braising and marinating

And here’s what you need to braise and marinate the octopus – nothing unusual here!

Ingredients in Crispy marinated baby octopus

The braising liquid is like a lemony vegetable stock, infused with flavour from lemon, bay leaves, parsley, garlic and black peppercorns. It’s fairly neutral, and this step is more about getting some subtle flavour into the octopus flesh.

The marinade – Octopus is actually very mild and delicate so it’s a terrific sponge for flavour. In this recipe, I’m using a bold Mediterranean marinade made with lemon, garlic, olive oil and a good hit of red chilli flakes for little pops of heat. These flavours are a natural fit with octopus which is a favourite all across the Mediterranean!

The garnish – I use a sprinkle of parsley (just pick some leaves off the stems before adding into the braising liquid), lemon and slices of large red chilli, more for a splash of bright colour rather than extra spiciness (because the large chillies aren’t spicy).

Crushed potatoes on the side of Crispy marinated baby octopus
The crushed potatoes drizzled with leftover marinade

Sides!

A dish this fabulous needs little more than a simple garden salad and some crusty bread to mop up all those juices you see on the plate. Add a glass of cold wine and you have yourself a spectacular meal for a hot summer day.

Having said that, here’s what you see pictured in photos in this post.

  1. Greek Salad – very fitting for this Mediterranean octopus dish! The big chunks of fresh juicy cucumber and tomato pair very well with the bold garlic flavours of the octopus.

  2. Crushed potato salad with parmesan (photo above) dressed with the flavour-loaded leftover marinade from the octopus. I boiled some baby potatoes with the octopus for the last 30 minutes, then drizzled over the leftover marinade, added an extra squeeze of lemon and olive oil (I was a little short on dressing), sprinkled generously with parmesan, pinch of parsley, then served it on the side with the octopus.

    YUM.

Fork picking up a piece of Crispy marinated baby octopus
Ready, set, EAT!

I know this recipe will be far from the most popular on this website, being that octopus is not, well, you know, chicken breast. 😂 And it makes me a little sad to think of all those people in this world who will never experience the awesomeness that is baby octopus.

But for those of you reading, I really hope you give this a go someday! It’s a little special, not something you can find at your usual suburban restaurants. And it’s just so easy!

What do you think?? Have I convinced you to give it a try? If you make it, please let me know what you think! I hope you love it as much as I do. – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Crispy marinated baby octopus

Author: Nagi
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 1 hr 15 mins
Marinating time: 1 d
Mains, Starter
Mediterranean, Western
5 from 9 votes
Servings6
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. Here's an easy, outrageously delicious way to cook baby octopus: simmered until tender, marinated in bold Mediterranean flavours, seared until crispy. Add a Greek Salad, bread for mopping and a glass of chilled wine for the perfect summer meal!
2 kg / 4 lb raw baby octopus will serve 5 to 6 people as a main – it shrinks quite substantially. It might even be better the next day, so look forward to leftovers!

Ingredients

  • 2 kg / 4 lb baby octopus , rinsed (Note 1)

Braising liquid:

  • 4 litres / quarts water
  • 1 onion , halved, skin on
  • 6 garlic cloves , smashed (Note 2)
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns (sub 1/2 tsp ground pepper)
  • 2 tsp cooking salt (kosher salt)
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
  • 3 parsley stems (with leaves)
  • 2 bay leaves , fresh or dried

Marinade:

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 garlic cloves , very finely minced (or use garlic press)
  • 2 tsp lemon zest (one large lemon)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp dried red chilli flakes (red pepper flakes), optional
  • 1/2 tsp each cooking/kosher salt and black pepper

Cooking & serving:

  • 1 tbsp canola oil (for BBQ or large skillet)
  • 2 tsp parsley , finely chopped (optional)
  • 1 large red chilli , finely sliced (optional)
  • Lemon wedges (highly recommended)

Instructions

  • Braising – Put all the braising liquid ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add octopus, bring back up to the boil, then reduce the heat to low so the water is simmering very, very gently. Scoop off and discard scum off the surface when it accumulates.
  • Braise 1 hour until tender, first checking at the 45 minute mark, or until octopus is tender (take a little nibble to check!).
  • Drain octopus in a colander. Pick out and discard the bay leaves, onion etc. Transfer octopus into a bowl.
  • Marinate – Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl. Pour over the octopus (while still hot). Toss, allow to fully cool, cover with cling wrap then marinate overnight in the fridge. (Note 4)
  • Cook until crispy (BBQ) – Heat a BBQ hot plate on medium high until hot. Spread oil across the hot plate. Use tongs to transfer the octopus onto the BBQ (leave residual oil behind), spread out and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, rotating as needed to brown all over, and most especially ensuring the legs are golden and crispy. (Stove – use a large skillet, cook in 2 or 3 batches).
  • Serve – Pile octopus on a plate. Sprinkle with parsley and chilli, add lemon wedges. EAT and be happy! Serve with bread for mopping or see Note 4 for crushed potatoes pictured in post dressed with residual marinade.

Recipe Notes:

1. Baby octopus is sold fresh and frozen. I buy mine frozen in 2 kg / 4 lb blocks at my local seafood shop. Thaw, drain well, then use per recipe. No need to peel the skin, it’s cooked until tender. You won’t even notice the skin.
Tenderness – easy to tell when it’s ready, it should be tender but not overcooked so it gets mushy. Start checking at 45 minutes. Mine are usually done in 1 hour, for slightly larger ones it might take 70 minutes.
Large octopus legs – Keep whole and follow recipe as written. They should take around the same time to become tender even though they are thicker.
Fresh octopus can take a little longer than frozen as freezing kick-starts the tenderising process.
2. Smashed garlic cloves – leave the skin on. Place the side of a chef’s knife on the garlic then bang with the palm of your hand to make the garlic burst open but mostly hold together. Garlic flavour will infuse into the braising liquid but it’s easy to pick out later.
3. Marinating – Don’t shortcut this. Minimum 12 hours, 24 hours is best for maximum flavour infusion!
4. Crushed potatoes – I boiled 500g baby potatoes with the octopus for the last 30 minutes. Lightly crushed them and poured over the residual marinade after removing the octopus to cook it (it’s flavour loaded, don’t waste it!!)
5. Leftovers will keep for 2 days in the fridge. I swear it’s even better the next day!
Nutrition per serving, assuming 6 servings and 3 tbsp of oil in marinade is not consumed.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 394cal (20%)Carbohydrates: 12g (4%)Protein: 50g (100%)Fat: 15g (23%)Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 160mg (53%)Sodium: 1777mg (77%)Potassium: 1241mg (35%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 609IU (12%)Vitamin C: 23mg (28%)Calcium: 218mg (22%)Iron: 18mg (100%)
Keywords: baby octopus, octopus recipe
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

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61 Comments

  1. Kathy says

    March 19, 2023 at 11:47 am

    5 stars
    Made these last night. Oh my gracious me! They were absolutely divine! They will be on the menu whenever I’m able to get baby octopus.

    Reply
  2. Trish Parnell says

    March 3, 2023 at 10:15 am

    Hi Nagi, can’t wait to try your baby octopus recipe what would be the best way to heat the left overs the next day?

    Reply
  3. LP says

    March 3, 2023 at 1:52 am

    5 stars
    Delish. So tender and quite easy! I love ordering octopus at restaurants but was always intimidated by trying to make it at home, this is def going on rotation in this house

    Reply
  4. Stuart says

    March 2, 2023 at 10:04 am

    Any suggestions where I can buy frozen and not online? Thanks in advance.
    Stuart

    Reply
  5. Karen says

    February 28, 2023 at 9:44 am

    5 stars
    I made this recipe last night – was really easy to follow and my 5 year old son (who is normally quite fussy) tried it and loved it! I used fresh Octopus but will try frozen next time!

    Reply
  6. Steph says

    February 26, 2023 at 7:47 pm

    I made a half batch of this tonight, it was absolutely delicious. I thought 2kg of baby octopus would be too much but they really shrunk to a small size after braising. Next time I’ll do some charred lemons to serve with it too.

    Reply
  7. Tracey Khan says

    February 25, 2023 at 11:14 am

    I’m a fan of RecipeTinEats and this recipe looked delicious But I just couldn’t bring myself to eat these intelligent creatures especially after watching My Octopus Teacher 😔

    Reply
  8. Another Sue says

    February 25, 2023 at 8:47 am

    I’m so keen to try this, but find the baby octopus in the stores I visit often have the beak. What is the best way to check and remove this?

    Reply
    • JB Alexandre says

      February 27, 2023 at 9:59 am

      Hi Sue, I’m JB, head chef at RecipeTin Eats. To remove the beak of an octopus, flip it upside down so you are looking at the centre of the arms, where the mouth is. There’s a globular knot of muscle with the beak in the centre. If you squeeze that area, the beak halves should detach and slip right out. Hope that answers your question! Take care!

      Reply
  9. Sue says

    February 24, 2023 at 8:26 pm

    I had this for dinner tonight, absolutely delicious (better than I have had at restaurants). Pouring the left over marinade over smashed potatoes is genius!!. Another winner Nagi xx

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 25, 2023 at 2:51 pm

      YES YES YES! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this, thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know! N x

      Reply
  10. Lou says

    February 23, 2023 at 12:30 pm

    Love love love everything you make. You are my “go to” woman for almost everything I cook. Can I use limes for the marinade instead of lemons? TIA

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 24, 2023 at 6:32 am

      Yes to limes! Fabulous. I ADORE lime with seafood!

      Reply
  11. Dawn says

    February 23, 2023 at 8:41 am

    Hey Nagi. Things with eight legs creep me out a bit too much, alas, because this does look rather good! I think I’ll give the potato side a try, though.

    Problem: you have a paragraph at the top in small, grey font. I understand why it’s been styled differently to the rest of the text, but therein lies a problem: there isn’t much contrast between the grey text and the white background so it fails basic accessibility criteria. I build and maintain websites for a living and that includes making them as accessible as possible, otherwise it wouldn’t have occurred to me so I don’t blame you for not knowing! You and your heart and your recipes are wonderful, and I’d hate for anyone with a vision impairment to encounter an unnecessary barrier between them and your website. A larger font size and darker shade of grey should do the trick 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 24, 2023 at 6:33 am

      Aww thanks for letting me know Dawn! Strange that WordPress gives me the option to use small font if there’s accessibility issues 🙁 Will change it now! N x

      Reply
  12. Michael Trotter says

    February 23, 2023 at 1:26 am

    5 stars
    Baby occy is so underated. Can’t wait to try this as only ever had it the the hard/fast method. Thanks Nagi… looks so yum. Give it a go folks

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 24, 2023 at 6:34 am

      I do hope you try it, the slow-then-fast method really is amazing! N x

      Reply
  13. Kay says

    February 23, 2023 at 12:37 am

    This is amazingly timely! We are in our place in Huatulco and as usual I can never find the right method to cook Octopus, and I always look on your site first! Yay, so excited to try this as we have great seafood here on the Pacific! Can’t wait to get the book when I’m back in Canada.. big hug to the Doze!

    Reply
  14. Jane says

    February 22, 2023 at 5:05 pm

    My mouth is watering as I read through the recipe. I’ve added the ingredients to my list and will marinate tomorrow for a Friday night BBQ and a glass of Prosecco. Looking forward to it! Thank you Nagi!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 24, 2023 at 6:38 am

      Please tell me what you think! I really want to know if people love this as much as I do!! 🙂 N xx

      Reply
  15. Carmine Allocca says

    February 22, 2023 at 12:27 pm

    5 stars
    Never care for these but seeing the recipe I will give them a go. They look delicious. Thanks

    Reply
  16. Ren says

    February 22, 2023 at 11:49 am

    5 stars
    Yes, you’ve totally convinced me to give this recipe a try as I love baby Octopus!

    Any thoughts on fresh v frozen octopus? Is the flavour/quality comparable?

    Thanks for sharing this secret family recipe!

    Ren

    Reply
  17. Valerie Campbell says

    February 22, 2023 at 10:07 am

    Will the potatoes last like that until the next day when you cook bbq the octopus. Like to do everything ahead. Thank you

    Reply
  18. Margaret R Pass says

    February 22, 2023 at 8:07 am

    5 stars
    I tried to find just your Crushed potato salad with parmesan that you made with this baby octopus recipe…not in your web page search?…it is lovely as a stand a lone! I am going to try both. . You always come through with the most fantastic recipes and fail safe! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 22, 2023 at 8:20 am

      It’s in the notes! Just a quick one I threw together using residual marinade – it’s so flavour loaded, didn’t want to waste it!

      Reply
  19. Dean Hooley says

    February 22, 2023 at 7:21 am

    Great suggestion for the Occy recipe. Looking fwd to having a go. Cheers

    Reply
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