Octopus with citrus, a fresh, fragrant, and tasty salad, perfect also as an appetizer to serve for the holidays… a very simple dish to make, with the zest and juice of oranges, lemons, and mandarins. I cooked the octopus under pressure in the multicooker, so it turned out tender in just a few minutes… if you don’t have one, you can cook it in a classic pressure cooker or boil it in water (at the end you will find all the indications). After cooking, I grilled the octopus to make it even more flavorful, finally, I dressed it with the citrus sauce. Try this recipe, it’s suitable for all occasions!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 Servings
- Cooking methods: Instant pot, Grill
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 139.89 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 4.93 (g) of which sugars 4.29 (g)
- Proteins 24.02 (g)
- Fat 2.77 (g) of which saturated 1.01 (g)of which unsaturated 1.36 (g)
- Fibers 0.45 (g)
- Sodium 97.56 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 octopus (about 900-950 g (2-2.1 lbs))
- Half onion
- Half stalk celery
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- 2.5 tbsp dry white wine
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 orange (untreated)
- 1 lemon (untreated)
- 1 mandarin (or a clementine)
- parsley
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Tools
- multicooker
- Grill Pan
- Grater
- Juicer
- Bowl
Steps
Wash the octopus thoroughly to remove any remaining sand between the suction cups.
In my case, I used a defrosted octopus, so I simply cut away the beak and eyes. If you have a fresh octopus, you’ll need to empty the contents of the head and wash the inside well.
After cleaning, you can leave the octopus whole, or divide it into 3-4 parts as I did (to ensure more even cooking).
Take the inner pot of the multicooker and lightly grease it with oil. Add the wine, water, bay leaf, onion, and a piece of celery.
Now place the octopus (1) in the center, insert the pot into the base and close with the lid for pressure cooking.
Set a timer for 15-17 minutes, the pot will start counting the time from the closure of the valve.
Once the cooking is finished, vent the pot until the valve drops, then open the lid (2), being careful not to burn yourself with the steam.Let the octopus cool in its liquid, in the meantime prepare the dressing.
Grate the zest of the orange and lemon into a small bowl. Squeeze the juice of half an orange, the lemon, and the mandarin, strain it and pour it into the bowl.
Add salt, pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and emulsify everything.
Drain the octopus and separate the tentacles. Grill them on a nonstick grill pan, a couple of minutes per side will suffice (3).
Arrange the grilled octopus on a serving plate and sprinkle with the citrus dressing, finally add some fresh chopped parsley. For decoration, you can add slices of orange and lemon.
The octopus with citrus is ready to be served, excellent either warm or at room temperature.
Tips and Notes
The octopus can be stored until the next day, in the refrigerator, inside a glass container.
You can prepare it a few hours in advance, so it will better absorb the aroma of the citrus.
You can also grate the peel of the mandarin if you have an untreated one.
FAQ
Can I cook the octopus in boiling water as well?
Yes, you can boil the octopus in a pot with boiling water and aromatics for about 50-60 minutes.
Alternatively, you can use a classic pressure cooker or a slow cooker (here you can find the procedure).What ingredients can I add?
You can enrich the dish with classic boiled potatoes, julienned celery and carrots, black olives or taggiasche olives.
