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–+ servings
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4.84 from 6 votes

Octopus Spaghetti

This method of cooking the octopus results in the most tender octopus I have ever had
Recipe Category: Italian
Makes enough for: 4 people
All Rights Reserved: Adapted from Made In Sicily, Giorgio Locatelli page 228

Ingredients

for the parsley and garlic garnish

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 handful flat leaf parsley

for the spaghetti with octopus

  • 1 frozen octopus
  • 2 red chillies
  • 90 mls olive oil, divided, plus extra for drizzling
  • 1 large handful flat leaf parsley
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
  • 360 g dried spaghetti
  • 12 bella tomatoes, halved

Method

for the parsley and garlic garnish

  • Crush the garlic clove on a chopping board using the back of a chefs knife
  • Place the parsley onto the board on top of the garlic
  • Chop finely and set aside

for the spaghetti with octopus

  • Defrost the octopus
  • Remove the head and discard
  • Cut the top off one of the chillies and remove the seeds
  • Place into a stock pot with the parsley and 30mls of the oil
  • Lightly crush the garlic cloves, leaving the paper on and add to the pot
  • Place the octopus in the pot, put the lid on and place on a low temperature on the stove
  • Simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally, ensuring that the tentacles are covered by the cooking liquid
  • Remove from the heat and leave to cool until you can handle the octopus
  • Bring a large pot of water to the boil
  • Cut the tentacles into bite size pieces
  • Add salt to the boiling water and cook the pasta for a minute less than the package instructions
  • Place the rest of the oil into a large frying pan and heat over a medium temperature
  • Add the tomatoes and when slightly softened, crush with the back of a spoon
  • Finely chop the chilli and add to the pan
  • If the octopus cooking liquid is not too salty add 60mls to the pan, if it is too salty add the pasta cooking water instead
  • Add the octopus and heat through and season to taste
  • Drain the pasta, reserving some of the water, and add the pasta to the pan
  • Cook for 1 minute, adding some of the reserved cooking water if necessary
  • Toss through the garlic and parsley and serve drizzled with olive oil

Notes

I would recommend using frozen octopus for this as it means less work as the freezer does the tenderizing. If you can only find a fresh one, either place it into the freezer or bash it with a hammer.