Cooking Therapy

Summertime is all about eating light and using the best and tastiest ingredients. It is also a great time to consume a lot of seafood. One of my favorite seafood delicacies is octopus. Growing up in Greece, this was a summer staple at the beach restaurants. A lot of people are intimidated by the taste due to how the octopus looks, but it tastes amazing and, in my opinion, better than calamari. It can be eaten as an appetizer or as a meal. I normally eat it as is, but I was feeling fancy when I made it this time and turned it into tacos. The recipe is super easy and definitely fun to make. Try yours today!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 large, wild caught octopus, trimmed of its beak and the head cut out and cleaned

1 large red onion cut into quarters

2 tbsps. red wine vinegar

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Juice from 1 lemon

1 bay leaf

Instructions:

• In a large pot or pressure cooker, place the octopus and add just enough water to cover it. Add the onions, vinegar, sprinkle handful of salt and black pepper, and add the bay leaf
• Bring water to a boil and lower to a medium high flame to allow octopus to cook. This process makes the octopus more tender. You may see the ink of the octopus to cook along with it. Do not be alarmed. Cook until the octopus is fork tender, about 45 minutes
• Drain the octopus
• Heat up a charcoal or gas grill to a medium high heat and oil up the grill grates
• Season the octopus with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Place on grill and cook until charred on both sides, about 5-6 minutes on each side

• Remove from grill and squeeze a lemon over it. Eat as is or pair it with a heavier meal. I made it into tacos with some corn and tomato salsa
• Enjoy!