You simmer octopus until tender, then grill it over charcoal until the edges crisp. The tentacles take a char; the interior stays yielding. Oil, vinegar, oregano, and lemon at the end — the island formula. Eat it with your fingers while it is still hot.
This is the postcard and the lunch of seaside tavernas. The simmer comes first, always. The grill is only the finish. Freezing tenderizes it; so does a beating against a board, if you have not frozen it.
Dress it while it is still hot so the oil and vinegar run into the cracks of the char. A squeeze of lemon at the table, nothing else.
Method
- 01
If the octopus has not been frozen — freezing tenderizes it — beat it against a board a few times. Put it in a pot with the ⅓ cup of vinegar and the bay leaves; it will release its own liquid. Cover and simmer gently until a knife slides into the thickest part of a tentacle, 40 to 50 minutes — a quiet bubble, not a boil, or it will seize and toughen.
- 02
Drain the octopus and let it cool until you can handle it comfortably. Cut it into large pieces, leaving the tentacles whole if they are not enormous — a whole tentacle on the plate is the taverna look, and it takes the char more handsomely. Pat the pieces dry; wet octopus will steam on the grill instead of crisping. You're only a few minutes from the fire now.
- 03
Heat a grill or grill pan until it is fiercely hot — you should see a shimmer of heat above the bars. Brush the octopus with oil and lay it on, then grill, turning, until the edges char and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. The tentacles will take a dark, almost lacquered crust while the interior stays yielding. Don't fuss with it; let each side sit long enough to color.
- 04
Dress it at once, while it is still hot, so the remaining oil, the 2 tablespoons of vinegar, the oregano, salt, and pepper run into the cracks of the char. That is the island formula, and it has not changed. Serve with lemon wedges and eat with the fingers. A squeeze of lemon at the table, nothing else — the Aegean puts lemon on everything that has seen fire.
