Grilled Octopus with Oregano Vinaigrette

• 1 kg octopus tentacles
• 1/2 cup of cider vinegar
• 4 bay leaves
• ½ punnet cherry tomatoes, halved and finely sliced
• 1 French shallot, finely sliced
• 1 handful watercress leaves picked
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• Vinaigrette
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tbs. baby capers
• 1 small lemon, charred and juiced
• 60ml olive oil
• Salt and pepper

This recipe is created by Justine Schofield for our partnership with Everyday Gourmet.

Greek cuisine is quite popular for its grilled octopus dish. And the way Greeks cook octopus is second to none. A lot of people think it is difficult to cook but one of the tricks to getting it nice and tender is to poach it then chargrill. Cooking it gently and letting it cool down in the liquid makes it very tender. Such a delicious way to cook octopus and people do pay a lot of money for this dish. Justine uses the premium Tefal French Heritage cookware to cook this dish.

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil along with the vinegar and bay leaves. Turn the heat down to a simmer and add the octopus tentacles, ensuring they are completely submerged. Poach for 1- 1.5 hours or until tender. Turn the heat off and cool completely in the liquid. This can be done 2-3 days ahead of time if you like.

2. For the vinaigrette, combine all the ingredients together.

3. Drain from liquid and heat grill pan over a high heat. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the oil over the octopus and rub all over. Grill for 3-4 minutes on both sides, until charred.

4. Cut the lemon in half and add to the grill pan cut side down. Remove the octopus and slice into 2cm pieces. Juice the charred lemon into the vinaigrette.

5. Scatter watercress, tomatoes and shallots on to a plate. Pile the octopus on top and drizzle over the vinaigrette and a pinch of smoked paprika.