Sicilian Braised Octopus

Name: Sicilian Braised Octopus
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 4 h 10 min
Total time: 4 h 25 min
Cuisine: European, Italian, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 2lb octopus, washed; 2 tablespoons olive oil; Splash of white wine; 1/2 white onion, halved; 1 carrot, peeled and halved; 1/3 cup brined caper berries; 1 bottle of passata; 3 anchovy filets; 2 small bay leaves; 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes; 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

5 steps

Prep:15minCook:4h 10min

If you love octopus when you go out to eat, but feel intimidated by the sea creature at the market, start here! This takes very minimal effort, and the reward is a super tender octopus with a savoury sauce perfect for pasta! It’s a one pot meal perfect for those days when you want something different.

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 11:35:43 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Great

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

Low

Nutrition per serving

Calories312.4 kcal (16%)

Total Fat9.9 g (14%)

Carbs15.2 g (6%)

Sugars1.3 g (1%)

Protein36.9 g (74%)

Sodium882.8 mg (44%)

Fiber3.8 g (13%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

4 servings

2 lboctopus

washed

2 tablespoonsolive oil

0.5white onion

⅓ cupcaper berries

1 bottlepassata

½ teaspoonred chili flakes

2 tablespoonsfresh parsley

chopped

Instructions

Step 1

In a heavy braiser, add the olive oil, and heat to medium low. Add the caper berries, anchovies and chili flake, and let the oil melt the anchovies. Add the wine, and let it simmer for a moment. Add the tomato sauce, onion, and carrot.

Step 2

Add the entire octopus to the braiser. Spoon some of the sauce onto it, cover and let cook on low for 3-4 hours, or until the octopus has shrunk, and is a deep burgundy color. It should be tender when pierced with a knife or fork.

Step 3

When the octopus has cooked, remove it, and chop into small bite sized pieces. Add it back into the sauce. Toss in fresh parsley to taste. Remove the carrot and onion, and the bay leaves from the sauce. Discard.

Step 4

If making pasta, you’ll use about 500gr. For the entire batch of sauce. You will not need to salt the water for this dish. The anchovy lends enough salt to properly season the pasta. Once the pasta is al dente, add the pasta to the sauce, stir to coat well, and serve hot.

Step 5

*If you want to amp up this dish, consider adding a scoop of roasted bone marrow to the pasta, stirring gently, right before serving.