Grilled Octopus with Paprika and Toasted Almonds

Over the past month we have shared some of our favourite Argentinian dishes from our restaurant, The Independent in Gembrook. Today’s recipe is no exception, we love this simple grilled octopus with paprika and salted almond.

Octopus is a popular dish in Argentina. We inherited it from the Spanish immigrants during the first and second world wars. The secret to the best tasting octopus is to cook it without salt, and then allow the meat to cool down in the cooking liquid. It makes a huge difference.

Now that you have all five recipes from us, we definitely recommend inviting your friends and family over for a big cook up and sharing in a traditional Argentinian feast!

Method

To poach the octopus

In a large pot bring water to boiling point. Add some rosemary, a couple of green cardamom pods and 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds. Add the octopus and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Leave to cool down in the water, otherwise the octopus will become chewy.

How to assemble

When the octopus is cold, clean any loose bits under running water. Dry the octopus with paper towels.

Place the octopus in a bowl with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Now grill or pan fry your octopus. We grill ours on a hot skillet pan, as it adds a nice charred flavour.

Lightly toast some almonds in a dry pan until they are golden. Make sure you keep your focus on the pan while doing this, as they can quickly burn!

Once the octopus has been grilled/pan fried, plate it up. While the octopus is still hot, sprinkle smoked paprika all over it, add some sea salt, and garnish with a sprinkle of toasted flaked almonds, lemon juice, parsley and mint.