As a country surrounded by seas in three sides, Turkey is rich with its seafood. Grilled fish, squid and octopus are common dishes especially on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. Below you will find how to cook octopus Turkish style. Please remember Octopus requires a lot of work and time, and it will be much less than its uncooked size after cooking.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 octopus around 1 kilo or 2 pounds (cleaned and frozen)
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine
• Oregano or thyme
• 2-3 bay leaves
• Tomato paste
• Salt
• Pepper
• Crushed garlic

How to Prepare

Place the octopus as a whole in a pot with enough boiling water to cover it. After boiling it for 10 minutes drain it and rub the octopus with your hands or a small brush under running water to remove the dark outer membrane. This comes off easily, but some parts will stay.

Place the cleaned octopus as a whole in the pressure cooker and cook it for another 10 minutes.

When the octopus cools down a little, cut off the tentacles, and cut the head sac into 1/2 inch strips. Now it is ready for marinating.

Marinade

Mix the crushed garlic, tomato paste, olive oil, white wine, oregano, bay leaves, pepper in a container with a lid. Soak the octopus pieces or allow them to stand in the marinade for a day to give extra flavor and tenderness before grilling.

Barbecue

The next day it will be ready for barbecue. Brush the octopus pieces with the marinade all over and grill over low charcoals until they cook.

Ready to Serve

Just before serving, cut tentacles into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces diagonally, and make the sauce: whip the olive oil and crushed garlic. Pour it over the octopus, sprinkle oregano on top, and serve.

Categories: Food Tagged with: sea food • Turkish cuisine