Charred Spanish Octopus - with potatoes bravas

This is one of our favorite dishes to have in a restaurant, and we order it almost every time it's on a menu. I love the flavor that octopus absorbs, and the crispy char on the outside is so delicious! I paired the flavorful octopus with crispy potatoes and two different sauces! 

Ingredients for octopus bath:

1 TBSP dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 TBSP mexican oregano
2 cups seafood stock
2 cups red wine (see notes below)
2 slices of lemon
2 dried chipotles
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
3 cups of water
salt and pepper
2.5lb octopus, head removed

Ingredients for Bravas Sauce: 

1 link of spanish chorizo, skin removed and chopped into small pieces

1 TBSP hot paprika

1 cup of fire roasted pizza sauce

1 tsp Aji Amarillo

1 tsp calabrian chiles

1 TBSP of liquid from pepperoncini jar (like 3 splashes and if you don't have pepperoncini peppers you can use liquid from a pickle jar)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp Mexican oregano

a pinch of salt

Fry the chorizo in a small sauce pot first to render the fat.  Remove the chorizo with a slotted spoon and keep all the fat in the pot. Reserve the chorizo and keep warm for later. To the pot with the chorizo fat, combine all the other ingredients in the sauce pot. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Reserve and serve warm.

Ingredients for Garlic Aioli: 

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 egg yolk

2 tsp lemon juice (like half of a lemon)

1 tsp honey

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup mayonnaise

salt and pepper

Whisk all ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Ingredients for Marinade: 

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup chili oil (canola oil where dried chilis were steeped in the oil for 30 minutes on low heat)

2 TBSP liquid from the pepperoncini jar

2 TBSP parsley, minced

2 TBSP garlic, minced

1 tsp Aji Amarillo

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp hot paprika

pinch of fresh pepper

Whisk all ingredients together. Reserve at room temperature until the octopus is ready for it! 

Potatoes Bravas: 

6 yukon gold potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces

16 oz of duck fat

Oregano

Salt

Cayenne pepper

Optional: 

1 lemon, cut in half and charred on the grill with the octopus. Squeeze a little fresh lemon over the completed dish. 

Chives for garnish

Directions: 

1. Start with the octopus bath. Combine all the ingredients (except for octopus) in a large pot. Bring to a low boil.  Dip the octopus in 2 times and then drop it in completely. Reduce to a very low simmer and cover.  Cook for 1 hour. 

2. While the octopus is cooking, make your marinade, aioli, and bravas sauce. 

3. To check the octopus for doneness, at the hour mark, stick a sharp knife in the largest part of the tentacle. If it goes in easily and seems tender, your octopus is done. Turn off the heat, remove the cover, and let it cool down for 15 minutes in the liquid. 

4. Remove the octopus from the liquid and place it on a cutting board. With a butter knife, scrape the skin off the smooth side of the octopus. You could use your hands to push it off, but I think a butter knife works well. 

5. Place your octopus in the marinade and refrigerate for 1 hour.  

6. Fire up your grill and get it really hot for the octopus! 

7. Move on to your potatoes. Heat a large dutch oven to 350 degrees.  Toss the potatoes in salt, cayenne and oregano. Divide your potatoes into 2 batches. Fry the potatoes once for 15 minutes, drain on a wire rack and let cool for a few minutes. 

8. Char your octopus on the grill. It only takes about 3-4 minutes per side. You can use the excess marinade to brush the octopus as it's on the grill.  Optional to char your lemon at this time too! 

Try to "man" the grill and finish the last flash fry on your potatoes simultaneously. 

7. Finish your potatoes—Make sure your oil is back to 350 degrees. Fry the potatoes again for another 2-4 minutes, or until they are crispy and a nice brown color is achieved. As soon as they come out of the oil, place them in a towel-lined bowl to catch some oil. Quickly toss, remove the towel, and then add oregano, salt, and cayenne again. Toss. 

8. To plate, place some potatoes down with a few crumbles of crispy chorizo.  Dot both sauces all around and on the potatoes. Top with the octopus. Sprinkle with chives and serve the charred lemon along side. 

Wine pairing: 

Juan Gil

Jumilla Silver Label 

2019

Jumilla, Spain

The wine I cooked with: 

Marks and Spencer

Lisboa Bonita

2020

Lisboa, Portugal