V Cook—A Savoury and Vitamin Rich Grilled Octopus Dish—That’s Also Easy to Make

One essential in VB’s diet are good fats coming from avocado and oily, protein-rich fish including salmon and sea bass. However, octopus is another food rich in omega-3 essential oils and a great source of iron, calcium, and potassium, all good vitamins to ensure VB is equipped to tackle her daily workouts and workday. And who better than VB’s chef and friend, Andrea Rodriquez, to produce a delicious recipe focused on amplifying the health benefits with distinctive and complementary flavours. Below, a breakdown of Rodriquez’s take on grilled octopus served with a carrot purée (filled with antioxidants and meant to improve eye health).  

Grilled octopus with carrot purée and asparagus (serves 2):

Ingredients:

Vegetable stock:

5 litres water 

4 celery stalks 

1 onion, cut in half 

7 garlic cloves, cut in half 

1 red chili 

1 jalapeño pepper

1 carrot, roughly cut 

2 bay leaves 

1 teaspoon sea salt

Carrot purée:

2 litres of vegetable stock

2-3 carrots 

Carrot purée recipe:

Bring vegetable stock to boil and cook carrots (peeled and cut in 3-4cm pieces) for about 10 minutes

Drain and roughly mash with a potato masher (during this process you can add a few ice cubes while mashing so that the orange colour stays bright)

Octopus: 

2 octopuses

1 Red chili pepper, seeds and veins removed, thinly sliced lengthways 

1 Jalapeño pepper, seeds and veins removed, thinly sliced lengthways 

2 Spring onions, thinly sliced 

8 asparagus stalks

Octopus recipe:

Mix the ingredients for the stock in a large stock pot and bring to the boil

Curl the tentacles of the octopus by dipping them up and down several times in the boiling water then leave the octopus to simmer covered for about an hour

Take out the boiling water into a large bowl and cover with cling film and put aside until it reaches room temperature

While waiting for it to cool...

Peel the asparagus and boil them in boiling salted water for 2 minutes then cool down immediately in a bowl of ice and water

When the octopus is at room temperature take out from the bowl and with your hands delicately clean the tentacles from part of the skin leaving the tentacles intact if possible and separate each tentacle

Using a very hot grill pan over high heat (or a charcoal barbecue), grill the octopus for just a minute or two on each side and serve with the carrot purée and asparagus

Garnish with the sliced chillies and spring onion and season with salt and pepper to taste