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Bon Appétit

Tandoori Octopus

By Inaki Aizpitarte
Image may contain Dish Food Meal Platter and Plant
Tandoori OctopusDavid Japy

The hardest part of this recipe is getting your hands on the octopus. Give your fishmonger a few days to order it for you.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1 2-pound whole octopus, cleaned, or 1-pound precooked octopus tentacles
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1 tablespoon white peppercorns
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
Kosher salt
3 teaspoons tandoori powder or seasoning

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Rub octopus with sea salt to season it, then rinse well to remove excess. Place octopus and peppercorns in a large pot and fill pot with cold water; bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until octopus can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 45–55 minutes.

    Step 2

    Invert a large bowl inside an even larger one, creating a dome. Drain octopus and place on inverted bowl so tentacles hang down. Chill at least 2 hours. Cut tentacles from octopus; discard head. Thinly slice tentacles crosswise into 1/2"-thick pieces.

    Step 3

    Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add half of octopus; season with kosher salt. Cook until lightly browned and almost crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons tandoori powder and toss to coat. Wipe out skillet and repeat with remaining oil, octopus, and tandoori powder.

    Step 4

    DO AHEAD: Octopus can be boiled 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

TagsSouth AsianAsianIndianOctopusShellfishSeafoodMainSideDinnerDairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreeEasySimmerBon Appétit

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