My mom recently made Greek marinated octopus as an appetizer for a family dinner. One bite and I knew I had to recreate it for Riri’s Greek Eats.
I admit I was a little intimidated to make this recipe. The thought of even going up to the seafood area of Whole Foods to ask for a whole octopus felt uncomfortable… would they judge me!? What if I ran into someone I knew and I was purchasing a whole octopus haha. Turns out, this recipe (and purchasing the octopus) was very easy and discreet!
I bought the frozen octopus from Whole Foods (it comes in a package) so that I could store it in my freezer until I was ready to cook it. Then, the day before I made it, I thawed it out in my fridge overnight in its packaging.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS GREEK OCTOPUS RECIPE
- Easily impress your dinner guests! This is actually an easy recipe to make because it doesn’t need a lot of prep or hands-on time.
- Greek octopus can also be made ahead of time and lasts in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- You could enjoy this tender octopus as an appetizer or add it to salad for a high-protein option.
RECIPE TIPS
- After removing the raw octopus from its packaging, rinse it well with cold water.
- Use a sharp paring knife to remove the mouth (the black part in the middle of the octopus), and then rinse the octopus again really well with cold water, especially under the hood of the octopus.
- The octopus shrinks and releases a bit of froth as it cooks. You don’t need to add water to the pot since the octopus will release its own juices in addition to the white wine, wine vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil.
- The cooking time will vary slightly based on how large your octopus is. For a roughly two-pound octopus, I simmered the octopus on low-medium heat for 40-45 minutes for tender octopus. If you overcook the octopus, it will become mushy instead of tender. As soon as you can pierce the octopus easily with a fork, then it’s done.
- When serving, I like to drizzle the octopus with olive oil, dried oregano and a pinch of salt.
- Storing the cooked octopus pieces in the marinade will allow the octopus to last longer in the fridge, but I find it has a lot of gelatin since it releases gelatin as it cooks. For this reason, I like to store the cooked octopus in olive oil instead. Olive oil will solidify and harden slightly in the fridge, so you’ll need to allow the octopus to come to room temperature before serving.
INGREDIENT NOTES
Octopus: You can use fresh or frozen octopus for this recipe. At the seafood section at Whole Foods, usually, they will have the whole octopus on display that has already been thawed (previously frozen). But if you ask them, they can give you a frozen package of octopus from the back so you can thaw it out when you want to make the octopus.
The octopus I purchase from Whole Foods is cleaned and tenderized (except you will still need to remove the black beak). If you’re purchasing an octopus from another location, you may need to clean the octopus more thoroughly by removing the ink sac, eyes, and beak. But you can check where you purchased it to see if it has been cleaned.
White wine: I like to use a sweet white wine like Riesling. I find that the sugar in the wine balances out the acidity. But, you can use whichever white wine you have on hand or that you like since you’ll still have some wine left over.
White wine vinegar: White wine vinegar is lighter in flavour and more delicate than red wine vinegar. If you only have red wine vinegar, then I would recommend using it instead of opting for no wine vinegar in the recipe.
Olive oil: I think good quality olive oil really adds so much flavour to this octopus especially drizzling olive oil over the octopus after it’s cooked. But, if you don’t have olive oil, you could use vegetable oil or a combination of vegetable and olive oil.
HOW TO MAKE GREEK OCTOPUS: STEP BY STEP
STEP 1: Clean and rinse the octopus. Rinse the octopus and hood (flip it inside out) really well with cold water. Use a sharp knife and remove the mouth/beak, ink sac, and eyes, if any, from the octopus. Rinse the octopus and hood again with cold water and place the octopus hood down in a large pot.
STEP 2: Simmer the octopus. Add in the white wine, olive oil, white wine vinegar, peppercorns and bay leaves. Bring the liquid to a boil under high heat and then simmer covered on low heat for about 40-45 minutes or until the octopus is tender and can be easily pierced with a fork.
STEP 3: Cut, serve or store the octopus. Remove the octopus from the pot and place it on a large plate or cutting board. Sprinkle with a little salt, dried oregano, and olive oil. Allow the octopus to cool for about 5-10 minutes, and then cut the octopus into about 2″ pieces.
Transfer the cut octopus to a glass jar or glass bowl. Wait until the marinade is cool before pouring the liquid from the pot over the octopus pieces. Cover the jar or bowl with a tight-fitting lid. This octopus will last in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
STORING AND SERVING
Olive oil will thicken slightly once in the fridge, so allow the marinated octopus to sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving. I don’t like to store the cooked octopus in the marinade because I find that gelatin solidifies in the fridge from the cooled octopus and marinade.
If you would like to store the smaller octopus pieces in the marinade, allow the marinade to cool completely before pouring it over the octopus in a tightly fitted jar. You can also store the octopus pieces in olive oil or a combination of olive and vegetable oil instead of using the marinade.
When serving octopus, I like to drizzle the octopus with fresh olive oil and dried Greek oregano.
This delicious Greek marinated octopus is meant to be served cold. Serve Greek marinated octopus with fresh pita bread, and try it as part of a Greek appetizer platter with pita bread, tzatziki, tirokafteri, marinated olives, and a Greek salad.
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Greek Marinated Octopus Recipe
Ingredients
- Octopus fresh or thawed – roughly 2 pounds
- 1 cup sweet white wine Riesling or another white wine
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil to cook with the octopus
- 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
- 5 black peppercorns adjust to taste
- 3-5 bay leaves
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil to drizzle on the cooked octopus – adjust to taste
- Dried oregano optional
Instructions
- Rinse the octopus and hood (flip it inside out) really well with cold water. Use a sharp knife and remove the mouth (beak), ink sac or eyes, or any insides from the hood of the octopus. Rinse the octopus and hood again with cold water and place the octopus hood down in a large pot.
- Add in the white wine, olive oil, white wine vinegar, peppercorns and bay leaves. Bring the liquid to a boil under high heat and then cover the pot and lower the heat. Simmer the octopus covered on low heat for about 40-45 minutes or until the octopus is tender and easily pierced with a fork.
- Remove the octopus from the pot and place it on a large plate or cutting board. Allow the octopus to cool for a few minutes so that it's easier to handle. Sprinkle the octopus with some salt, dried oregano, and olive oil. Cut the octopus into about 2" pieces. Transfer the cut octopus to a glass jar or glass container. You can either store the octopus in olive oil or use the marinade from the pot. If you're going to pour the liquid from the pot over the octopus, wait until the liquid is cool. Either way, cover the jar with a tight-fitting lid Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Notes
- The octopus shrinks as it cooks and releases a bit of froth as it cooks. You don't need to add water to the pot since the octopus will release its own juices.
- The cooking time will vary slightly based on how large your octopus is. For a roughly two-pound octopus, I simmered the octopus on low-medium heat for 40-45 minutes for tender octopus. If you overcook the octopus, it will become mushy instead of tender. As soon as you can pierce the octopus easily with a fork, then it's done.
- When serving, I like to only drizzle the octopus with olive oil, dried oregano and a pinch of salt.
- Storing the cooked octopus pieces in its marinade will allow the octopus to last longer in the fridge, but I find it has a lot of gelatin since it releases gelatin as it cooks. Therefore, I like storing the cooked octopus in olive oil in the fridge. The olive oil will solidify and harden slightly in the fridge, so you'll need to allow the octopus to come to room temperature before serving. Drizzle with a little more fresh olive oil and dried oregano before serving.
Nutrition
Date Published: March 9, 2023
Greek Style Marinated Octopus Recipe
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