Now that Scott and Karen’s delicious octopus is in the store, we knew that you would need an awesome octopus recipe! We’ve helped you with the first part of the recipe – tenderizing the octopus by flash freezing it. Now, all you need to worry about is having the ingredients ready and following the instructions from our friend Chef Ned Bell. Enjoy!

If you’re a visual person, you might also enjoy this video that shows all the steps from brining to grilling.

Grilled Octopus with Romesco, Marcona Almonds, and Romaine Hearts:

Serves 4

Octopus might seem intimidating to cook at home, but I assure you it’s simple. The trick is tenderizing the meat before you grill it. Freezing and then defrosting helps move things along by breaking down the cellular structure. Once the octopus is prepped, just a quick char on the grill crisps up the exterior and brings out its bold flavor. Rich and robust, octopus demands other powerful ingredients as complements. Romesco—a Catalan dipping sauce made with roasted bell peppers and almonds—fits the bill, as do crunchy Marcona almonds. If you’re pressed for time, ready-made stock works just as well.

Method:

Romesco sauce:

8 red bell peppers

5 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup Marcona almonds

Sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, put the peppers on the sheet, and roast for 10 to 12 minutes. Turning them over and roast for another 10 to 12 minutes, or until the skin is charred and soft. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel off the skins, slice peppers open to remove the seeds, and slice.

Transfer three-quarters of the peppers to a blender or food processor (the remaining peppers will be used in the salad), and add the olive oil and almonds. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Romesco sauce can be made several days ahead and refrigerated.)

Vegetable stock:

4 quarts water

1 bulb fennel, diced

1 onion, diced

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 lemons, halved

5 cloves garlic, crushed

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs thyme

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 25 minutes. Strain the stock, discarding the solids, and return it to the pot.

Octopus :

3 lb octopus 

1 lb pickling or other coarse salt, for scrubbing 

1/2 cup coarse kosher salt 

1/4 cup granulated sugar 

2 cups water 

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle 

Sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper 

Romaine hearts, roughly chopped, to serve 

Marcona almonds, for garnish 

Zest and juice of 1 lemon, to serve 

Scrub the octopus with a third of the pickling salt to remove the slime. Rinse thoroughly. Repeat this procedure twice. Place the octopus in a nonreactive container, and add the 1 cup kosher salt, sugar, and 4 cups water. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours. Rinse. 

Bring the pot of vegetable stock (or water) to a boil. Add the octopus, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until a knife slides in and out of the flesh easily. Drain and allow to cool. Using a paper towel, wipe off the purple skin but leave the suckers. (Octopus can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated.) 

Preheat the grill to high heat. Clean and oil the cooking grate. In a large bowl, toss the octopus with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the octopus, turning, for about 4 minutes or until crispy and charred all over but still moist. 

Slice the octopus into 1/4-inch disks. Arrange the Romaine and peppers on a plate and scatter the octopus over it. Dollop Romesco sauce around the plate. Garnish with the almonds. Squeeze the lemon juice over all, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt and lemon zest. 

Excerpted from Lure by Ned Bell and Valerie Howes. Photographs by Kevin Clark. Copyright 2017 by Chefs for Oceans, recipes copyright by Ned Bell. Excerpted with permission from Figure 1 Publishing. All rights reserved.