Seafood
Grilled Octopus with Santorini Fava
Tender grilled octopus served with silky Santorini-style fava puree, capers, red onion, parsley, and a generous finish of extra-virgin olive oil.
Serves
4
Prep
25 min
Cook
1 hr 15 min
Total
1 hr 40 min
Ingredients
What you’ll need
- 2 lb cleaned octopus
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 lemon
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup yellow split peas
- 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cups water or light vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp capers, drained
- 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
Method
How to make it
01
Tenderize the octopus
Place the octopus in a large pot with the bay leaf and lemon. Cover and cook gently over low heat until the octopus is very tender, about 45 to 60 minutes. Let it cool slightly in its cooking liquid.
02
Make the Santorini fava
Combine the yellow split peas, onion, and water or stock in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the peas are completely soft and beginning to break down, about 35 to 40 minutes.
03
Blend the puree
Blend the cooked split peas until very smooth. Add olive oil, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Thin with a little warm water if needed until the puree is silky and spoonable.
04
Grill the octopus
Cut the octopus into large serving pieces. Brush lightly with olive oil, season with salt and black pepper, and grill over high heat until lightly charred and crisp at the edges, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
05
Plate and finish
Spoon the warm fava puree onto each plate. Arrange the grilled octopus over the puree and finish with capers, red onion, parsley, lemon juice, and a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Chef Note
Tenderize first, char second.
Octopus becomes tender during the slow cooking stage, not on the grill. Use the grill only at the end to add color, smoke, and crisp edges without making the octopus tough.