Sicilian style octopus is my way of bringing the taste of Sicily into my kitchen in Moselle. A whole octopus cooked until tender, cut into pieces, seared for 2 or 3 minutes in olive oil, then tossed in a very simple sauce: lemon, flat-leaf parsley, capers and Sicilian black olives.
These are ingredients you find all over the island, and that is exactly what I love: nothing complicated, just good produce that tastes of the sea and the sun. The lemon wakes up the octopus, the capers and olives bring saltiness, and the parsley adds freshness.
The only step that needs a bit of patience is cooking the octopus. The rest takes just a few minutes. I serve it warm with good bread to mop up the sauce, and there are never any leftovers.
The recipe
My recipeIngredients
Octopus
- 1 whole octopus, about 1.2 kg, cleaned
- Water for cooking
- 2 tbsp olive oil for the pan
Sauce
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon (about 40 ml)
- 15 g Italian flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tbsp drained capers
- 80 g pitted Sicilian black olives
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Hold the octopus by the head and dip the tentacles into the boiling water 3 times so they curl, then submerge it completely.
- Lower the heat and simmer gently, covered, for 40 to 50 minutes. The octopus is ready when the tip of a knife slides easily into the thickest part of a tentacle.
- Turn off the heat and let the octopus cool in its cooking water for 15 minutes so it stays tender. Drain it, cut the tentacles into 3 to 4 cm pieces and the head into strips.
- Make the sauce: finely chop the parsley, halve the olives and drain the capers. In a bowl, whisk the olive oil with the lemon juice, salt and pepper, then add the parsley, capers and olives.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the octopus pieces and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until lightly golden.
- Tip the hot octopus into the bowl with the sauce and mix well so it soaks up all the flavors.
- Taste and adjust the salt, pepper or lemon. Serve right away, warm, with bread.
Tips and variations
- To save time, buy a ready-cooked octopus from your fishmonger and go straight to the sauce step.
- Freezing the raw octopus for at least 48 hours before cooking helps tenderize the flesh.
- Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge and are lovely cold, as a salad.
- If your capers are packed in salt, rinse them well and soak them in cold water for 10 minutes.
Recipe shared for guidance only, adapt it to your equipment: times and temperatures may vary. Check for allergens (gluten, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, nuts, sesame…) and make sure ingredients are fresh. Raw or undercooked fish, meat and eggs are not recommended for pregnant women, young children, elderly or vulnerable people. Take care with hot oil, flambéing and alcohol. I am not a health or nutrition professional.