Recipes

Grilled Octopus with Gigante Beans and Oregano

2 Mins read
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Introduction

Discover the delightful flavors of Grilled Octopus with Gigante Beans and Oregano, a dish that promises to tantalize your taste buds. This recipe is not just about creating an exquisite meal but also about preserving a piece of culinary history while introducing you to the artful balance between ingredients.

Tips for this Recipe

To ensure optimal flavor and texture, preheat your grill pan before adding octopus. Slowly cooking at a moderate heat helps in achieving that perfect char without overcooking the tentacles. Marinate or season to taste but remember that the robustness of both octopus and gigante beans stands out on their own.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

This Grilled Octopus with Gigante Beans and Oregano offers a harmony of textures from the tender octopus to the hearty beans, elevated by the zestful olive oil and rich notes of red wine. It’s a dish that celebrates simplicity yet complexity in flavors, appealing to both seafood aficionados and bean enthusiasts alike.

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds octopus (large tentacles)
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 750-ml bottles dry red wine
  • 1 large onion, quartered
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 Turkish bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
  • Gigante beans (quantity as per recipe)

Adviced Equipments

  • Grill Pan/Sheet: Ideal for grilling seafood evenly.
  • Saucepan (Large): Perfect for boiling gigante beans in batches.
  • Mixing Bowl: Useful for various stages of recipe preparation.
  • Tongs: Essential for handling octopus during grilling.
  • Colander: To drain beans post-boiling.
  • Kitchen Scale (Digital): For portioning and serving exact measures.
  • Griddle/Skillet: An alternative for grilling indoors or outdoors.
  • Mandoline Slicer: For uniform slices of garnishes, if needed.
  • Strainer/Fine Mesh Sieve: For rinsing octopus and straining ingredients.
  • Bowl Set (3-4 Pieces): Including mixing, serving, and storage bowls for meal prep and serving.

History of the Recipe

Grilled Octopus with Gigante Beans is a dish steeped in Mediterranean tradition. Originating from coastal regions, this combination reflects the historical abundance and necessity to utilize all parts of seafood available. The integration of gigante beans represents an agricultural connection to the land, while octopus showcases maritime heritage.

Fun Facts About This Recipe

The choice of red wine in this recipe is not arbitrary; it’s a nod to ancient practices where wines were used for their preservative qualities on seafood. The inclusion of gigante beans, known as ‘gigantina,’ pays homage to the legacy of farming techniques that have been passed down through generations in Italy and surrounding areas.

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Grilled Octopus with Gigante Beans and Oregano

Grilled Octopus with Gigante Beans and Oregano

amanda

Equipment

  • - Grill Pan/Sheet: Ideal for grilling various types of seafood including octopus; ensures even cooking with high heat retention.

  • - Saucepan (Large): For boiling gigante beans, perfect for the quantity needed in a recipe serving multiple people.

  • - Mixing Bowl: Useful for mixing ingredients or preparing dressings and sauces that complement the dish.

  • - Tongs: Essential for safely handling octopus on the grill without piercing it, preventing excess moisture loss.

  • - Colander: To strain boiled beans before using them in your recipe, ensuring they are free of excess water and easy to mix with other ingredients.

  • - Kitchen Scale (Digital): Useful for precise measurements when portioning out octopus or measuring the weight of the cooked dish itself if you're serving exact portions.

  • - Griddle/Skillet: As an alternative to indoor grill pan, a heavy-duty skillet can be used for grilling seafood and vegetables.

  • - Mandoline Slicer (if applicable): For precise slicing of any garnishes or components that require uniform thickness.

  • - Strainer/Fine Mesh Sieve: Used for rinsing octopus before grilling, as well as straining ingredients like oregano or vegetables from broth when preparing a sauce.

  • - Bowl Set (3-4 Pieces): Includes mixing, serving, and storage bowls used throughout meal prep and serving stages of the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds octopus (preferably large tentacles only), thawed if frozen

  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

  • 2 750-ml bottles dry red wine

  • 1 large onion, quartered

  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 1 Turkish bay leaf

  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

  • Gigante beans

Instructions

1

Instruction 1

Sprinkle octopus with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add octopus to pot and cook uncovered until octopus releases its liquid and most of liquid in pot evaporates, turning occasionally with tongs, 20 to 25 minutes. Add wine, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf to pot; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until octopus is very tender when pierced with fork, about 2 hours. Using tongs, transfer octopus to rimmed baking sheet and cool. If desired, rub off outer skin from octopus and discard. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
2

Instruction 2

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Cut octopus tentacles crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place on platter and brush with 2 tablespoons oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill octopus slices until heated through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to bowl and add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, red wine vinegar, and oregano; toss to coat.
3

Instruction 3

Place Gigante beans in large shallow bowl. Top with octopus mixture and serve.
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