Preparation

• Store until preparation.

  Put some water and ice in a large bowl. Place the octopus on top, leaving it in the paper used by the fishmonger.

  This way it will stay fresh until used without altering it.

  

• Clean the octopus.

  Wash it under running water, then cut where the tentacles begin and remove eyes and beak. Finally, rinse it well and massage it with your hands to remove any sand residues (especially in the suction cups) and impurities.

  

• Cooking.

  Bring to a boil a large pot with high sides. Immerse the octopus holding it by the head at least 3-4 times. The tentacles will curl up (gradual immersion of the tentacles). At this point, immerse the octopus completely and cook for about 30 minutes with the lid on over low heat.

  Check the cooking with a fork. If it goes in without problems, it means it’s cooked; otherwise, continue cooking.

  

• Turn it off and let it cool in its own water for the same time.

  Consider that cooking times vary depending on the weight of the octopus. It takes about 20 minutes for every 500 grams (1.1 lbs).

  

• Preparing the marinade.

  It is a light mojito base that gives the octopus a fresh and fragrant taste.

  The ingredients are: limes, mint leaves, brown sugar, soda, white rum, and ice. To have a homogeneous taste, I prepared the mojito 3 times and poured it into a large bowl to which I added ice.

  

• Take a mug (like the one used for the hand blender), put a handful of clean mint leaves, the brown sugar and crush. If you don’t have a pestle, you can use another utensil by the handle, covered with a plastic food bag. For example, I used the oyster opener.

  

• Add the washed and cut limes and continue crushing. Pour in some soda and white rum, then mix.

  Finally, pour into a bowl with ice.

  Repeat in the same way two more times until you finish the amount of soda (1 1/4 cups) and white rum (1 cup).

  

• Once the octopus is cooled, cut it into pieces and immerse it in the marinade.

  Let it rest for 8 hours, adding ice occasionally (when you see it’s melted).

  

• Dish composition.

  Prepare the pesto with the mint leaves from the marinade, a chopped tentacle, and the marinade liquid. I recommend putting the leaves and octopus, adding the liquid little by little. This way you can properly adjust the quantity. It should not be too liquid or too dense. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

  

• For the pesto, you can use an immersion mixer, a blender, or a mortar. In the latter case, add the ingredients little by little and crush as for the traditional Genovese pesto.

  

• Drain the octopus pieces and set them aside.

  Heat the grill and when it’s very hot, cook the octopus 2-3 minutes per side.

  Pour the sauce on the plate and place the grilled octopus on top.

  

• With this recipe, you can also serve the octopus as a starter using Martini glasses.

  Pour 2-3 tablespoons of the prepared marinade sauce and grilled octopus pieces into the glass.

  In both cases, you’ll make a great impression!!!

  

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