Warm Octopus Salad
30m prep 1h 10m cook 1h ready
A Caribbean-inspired warm octopus salad with grilled octopus, spicy pineapple salsa, and a coriander-poblano dressing. The octopus is boiled then grilled for a tender, charred texture.
Ingredients
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 parsley
- 3 sprig thyme
- 1 lemon halved
- sea salt
- 1 octopus
- coconut oil for grilling
- 14.8 ml coriander seeds dry toasted and ground fine
- 1 poblano chile pepper roasted, peeled, and seeded
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 small shallot minced
- 4.93 ml honey or agave
- 29.6 ml freshly squeezed lime juice
- 118 ml extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 1.23 ml sea salt
- 0.5 ripe pineapple peeled, cored, and diced into 1/4 inch pieces
- 1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper seeded and minced
- 2 red Fresno chile peppers sliced into 1/8-inch rings
- 1 small white onion peeled and very thinly shaved
- 59.1 ml fresh cilantro leaves
- 473 ml baby arugula
- fresh lime wedges for garnish
- 3 limes juiced
- 59.1 ml fresh cilantro leaves chopped
- 29.6 ml fresh parsley leaves chopped
- 29.6 ml fresh chives chopped
- 4.93 ml garlic minced
- 4.93 ml apple cider vinegar
- 4.93 ml coconut sugar
- 59.1 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large ripe avocado
- 59.1 ml Cashew Crema
- sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 24 of 33 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 243 mg
- Iron: 7.09 mg
- Magnesium: 87.6 mg
- Phosphorus: 187 mg
- Potassium: 1080 mg
- Zinc: 1.92 mg
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the octopus. Add 2 bay leaves, 3 parsley stalks, 3 sprigs thyme, 1 halved lemon, and a generous amount of sea salt. Bring to a boil and let cook for 10 minutes to blend flavors.
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Step 2.
While the water heats, gently pound the octopus tentacles with the smooth side of a mallet or heavy object to tenderize. Holding the octopus by the head, dunk it in and out of the boiling water 2-3 times for 5-10 seconds each. Then fully submerge the octopus and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a fork inserts easily into the tentacles.
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Step 3.
Immediately remove the octopus from the cooking liquid and dunk it into ice water 4-5 times to stop cooking. Cut the tentacles off the body, place in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate while preparing the dressing and salad.
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Step 4.
Preheat a grill or cast-iron grill pan to 400°F (200°C).
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Step 5.
Make the dressing: In a blender, combine 1 tablespoon ground coriander seeds, 1 roasted poblano pepper (peeled and seeded), 1 garlic clove, 1 small minced shallot, 1 teaspoon honey or agave, 2 tablespoons lime juice, ½ cup olive or avocado oil, and ¼ teaspoon sea salt. Pulse until smooth and uniform.
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Step 6.
Toss the chilled octopus tentacles with coconut oil and 2 tablespoons of the prepared dressing to marinate.
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Step 7.
Grill the octopus for 4-5 minutes per side, until crispy and charred.
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Step 8.
While the octopus grills, combine ½ ripe pineapple (diced ¼-inch), 1 minced Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, 2 sliced red Fresno chiles, 1 thinly shaved white onion, and ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves in a salad bowl. Add 1-2 tablespoons dressing and toss to coat.
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Step 9.
Arrange 2 cups baby arugula on a platter. Sprinkle the pineapple mixture over the arugula.
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Step 10.
Once the octopus is crispy, remove from the grill and immediately slice on a bias into ¼-inch-thick slices. Arrange the warm octopus slices on top of the salad. Spoon a generous amount of the remaining coriander dressing over everything. Garnish with fresh lime wedges around the platter.
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