This Pulpo a la Parrilla offers a delightful combination of grilled octopus, lightly seasoned and paired with a tangy, flavorful fresh salsa salad, creating an exquisite flavor!
Pulpo a la Parrilla, also known as Pulpo al Carbon or Pulpo a la Brasa, is tender, smoky and has a delightfully charred exterior.
The preparation simply involves cleaning and tenderizing the octopus before grilling it over an open flame or on a hot grill. The octopus is seasoned with olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper to enhance its flavor profile. The grilling imparts a wonderful smokiness to the octopus while maintaining its natural juiciness.
If you enjoy eating octopus, you will also love Ensalada de Pulpo (Octopus Salad) and Pulpo al Ajillo (Garlic Octopus).
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Reasons to Love this Recipe
- Tender Texture: Grilling octopus results in a tender and succulent texture that is truly delightful to bite into. Despite its initial toughness, proper preparation and grilling techniques render the octopus tender, making each mouthful just perfect.
- Savory Smokiness: Grilling octopus imparts a smoky flavor that adds delicious depth to this dish making it irresistible.
- Versatility: This dish is great with an array of side dishes. Everything from a simple tossed salad, Escabeche de Guineos, Ensalada de Garbanzos, Ensalada de Granos and Coles de Bruselas con Tocino are all delicious ideas.
- Health Benefits: Octopus is a nutritious choice that is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals such as vitamin B12, iron, and potassium.
Ingredients
- Octopus – Fresh or frozen octopus works for this recipe. I used frozen baby octopus for this recipe.
- Red Onion – Adds beautiful color and crunch.
- Garlic – Use fresh sliced, chopped or pureed garlic.
- Olives – Olives complement this dish excellently.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Seafood – Squid also works wonderfully for this recipe.
- Olive Oil – In a pinch, you can use vegetable or corn oil.
- Chili Flakes – For a spicy kick, add a few chili flakes when seasoning the octopus.
- Lemon/Lime – You can also use bottled lime or lemon juice.
Instructions
Step 1: In a medium pot, over medium high heat, add enough water to fully cover the octopus. Add the juice from one lemon plus the lemon rind. Add a tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil, add the octopus, then lower the heat to medium. For a large octopus (4 pounds), cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. For baby octopus, cook 35 minutes.
Step 2: Once tender and cooked, drain the octopus. Allow to cool for a few minutes before handling or rinse under cold water. Optional: Under cool water, use your fingers to easily slide some of the octopus’s outer skin to expose the white skin underneath. Do the same with the octopus head.
Step 3: If using a large octopus, cut the arms off the body and leave them whole. Add to a bowl. If using baby octopus, cut the body in half or leave the body whole.
Step 4: Add the octopus to a bowl and season with the garlic, oregano plus salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5: Heat your grill or grill pan and grease with oil. Char the octopus on one side for a few minutes.
Step 6: Flip over and char on the other side.
Step 7: Combine the onion, tomato, olives, vinegar and oil in a mixing bowl and stir. Squeeze the lime and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the grilled octopus to the bowl and stir well.
Step 8: Serve the octopus with a few lime wedges and a side of your choice or by itself.
Expert Cooking Tips
- Cooking – It is important to cook the octopus until tender, otherwise it will be tough and chewy.
- Cleaning the Tentacles (Arms) – After the octopus has been cooked, it will feel slimy to the touch. Under cool water, gently use your fingers to slide off some of the outer skin off the octopus, revealing the white tentacles underneath. Leave a portion of the skin for aesthetic purposes. Repeat the same process with the octopus head.
Recipe FAQs
To ensure your octopus is perfectly cooked, employ a small knife or fork to pierce the skin. If it penetrates effortlessly, your octopus is tender and prepared to be removed from the pot for use in your recipe.
Although a charcoal grill is excellent for this dish as it imparts a delicious smoky flavor unto the octopus, a gas grill or even a grill pan works great too.
While grilling octopus without boiling is an option, it’s preferable to boil it first, as this process tenderizes the octopus before grilling. Otherwise, there’s a risk of the octopus cooking rapidly on the surface while remaining tough inside, resulting in chewy meat.
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📖 Recipe
Pulpo a la Parrilla
Ingredients
Cooking the Octopus
- 1 pound octopus fresh or frozen
- 1 lemon juiced plus lemon rind
- 1 tablespoon salt
Seasoning Octopus
- ¼-½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced or pureed
- salt and pepper to taste
Salsa or Salad Mix
- 1 lemon or lime juiced
- ½ red onion chopped or thinly sliced
- 1 tomato rinsed and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced or pureed
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pimiento stuffed olives chopped
- 1 tablespoon black olives or Greek olives chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½-1 tablespoon hot sauce optional
Serving
- extra lime wedges
Instructions
- In a medium pot, over medium-high heat, add enough water to fully cover the octopus. Add the juice from one lemon plus the lemon rind. Add a tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil, add the octopus, then lower the heat to medium. Note: For a large octopus (4 pounds), cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. For baby octopus, cook 35 minutes.
- Once tender and cooked, drain the octopus. Allow to cool for a few minutes before handling or rinse under cold water. Optional: Under cool water, use your fingers to easily slide some of the octopus’s outer skin to expose the white skin underneath. Do the same with the octopus head.
- If using a large octopus, cut the arms off the body and leave them whole. Add to a bowl. Note: If using baby octopus, cut the body in half or leave the body whole.
- Add the octopus to a bowl and season with the garlic, oregano plus salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat your grill or grill pan and grease with oil. Char the octopus on one side for a few minutes.Flip over and char on the other side.
- Combine the onion, tomato, olives, vinegar and oil in a mixing bowl and stir. Squeeze the lime and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the grilled octopus to the bowl and stir well.
- Serve the octopus with a few lime wedges and a side of your choice or by itself.
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