Sometimes cooking is intimidating. And sometimes chefs are are even more intimidating but it doesn't deter me from my goal of learning from the best. So, when I showed up at MK to master Grilled Octopus, I quickly realized  that they run a tight ship and I was the oddball in high heels, looking like a glazed donut from the heat in the kitchen. Just like they say…if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. But Chef Erick Williams was a good sport and I can promise him, I will be grilling octopus this summer. I've always envisioned octopus as being tricky to work with. You, too, will see that it's not difficult to prepare. Most of the prep work is done in advance and the flavor was fantastic. 

Look for baby octopus in your local grocery stores and specialty markets, or ask the fish monger. I don't have an exact recipe from Chef but I can give you the basics. 

4 Baby Octopus
Red wine, to cover octopus
1 celery stick, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped

Chef Erick had me put the above ingredients into a small stock pot and bring to a boil. We then turned it down to slow boil and cooked for roughly 20 minutes. If you notice in the video, he removed one octopus and tasted a small part of the leg to check for doneness. Once done, he removed them from the stock and tossed them in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. You then char them on a hot grill, turning so they don't burn. The goal at this point is to crisp up the octopus because they are already cooked. I requested for the heads to be removed but they can be eaten as well. 

You can serve them over a nice green salad, sauteed red peppers or even splashed with a vinaigrette. I was amazed and exited at how easy this dish came together. It's a nice walk from the standard calamari.

But please, enjoy the video with Chef Erick Williams for Cooking with Beauty! 

MK Chicago
868 N. Franklin
Chicago
312.482.9179

Coming soon: Davanti Enoteca with Chef John Beatty