Mojo Octopus

Mojo Octopus

Octopus is great barbecued, especially after a bath in this delicious Cuban-inspired mojo marinade. Unlike most seafood, octopus (and its cephalopod cousins squid and cuttlefish) can be marinated overnight, though a few hours at room temperature will do if you’re short on time. Prawns work well with this versatile marinade too and are best cooked in the shell. Split them down the back to remove the digestive tract and allow the marinade to get in but only marinate for an hour or so otherwise the citrus will ‘cook’ their delicate flesh; grill them for about 3 minutes on the shell side only, just until the flesh is opaque almost all the way through (see video below).

Serves 2

Ingredients
  • 360g baby octopus, cleaned
  • 1 slice orange, halved (reserved from Mojo Marinade)
  • Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
  • Coriander sprigs, for garnishing

 

Mojo Marinade

  • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt flakes, crushed
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 lime
  • 1 orange
Method
  1. Make Mojo Marinade: place oil, garlic, oregano, pepper and salt in the jug of a stick blender. Zest half the lime over it, then juice it and add to the jug. Zest half the orange over it then reserve a slice for presentation, juice the rest and add to the jug. Use a stick blender to combine well.
  2. Cut octopus tentacles into quarters.
  3. Place tentacles and head in a container with the Mojo Marinade, cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from fridge an hour or so before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.
  4. Preheat a char-grill pan or barbecue to medium-high heat.
  5. Remove octopus from the marinade and set aside.
  6. Transfer marinade to a small saucepan, place over a medium heat and simmer until reduced to a saucy consistency.
  7. Meanwhile, place octopus on the grill.
  8. Cook for about 2 minutes each side (depending on thickness).
  9. Remove to a warm platter and set aside.
  10. Brush orange with oil and grill for a minute or so each side, until lightly marked.
  11. Garnish mojo octopus with orange and coriander.
  12. Drizzle with some of the marinade and serve with remaining marinade on the side.

Share page on:

How To Grill Prawns

Join Me Soon

What Our Cooks Say

Melisa (Beacon Hill, NSW)
Melisa (Beacon Hill, NSW)
Read More
We made the pot-sticker dumplings and bang bang chicken from the Chinese class the other night. Once again both exceeded our expectations. My husband keeps saying it’s better than going out to restaurants as the recipes and quality are amazing.
Glennis (Caringbah South, NSW)
Glennis (Caringbah South, NSW)
Read More
The whole Be Inspired experience has helped me love cooking again. I was sick of cooking the same old things - meal time is a lot brighter thanks to you Roberta.
Pam (Cammeray, NSW)
Pam (Cammeray, NSW)
Read More
Your recipes are something I always feel confident offering guests and also reasonable in the time to prepare. We often try your recommended wines and suppliers and enjoy your travel tales too!
Jen (Tamarama, NSW)
Jen (Tamarama, NSW)
Read More
Thank you for stocking our pantry with such authentic Ingredients and quality produce. We really like the flexibility of cooking over a couple of days and changing the order we cook the dishes in when we want to. And I love listening to the themed playlist while cooking.
Katrina (Arncliffe, NSW)
Katrina (Arncliffe, NSW)
Read More
I am absolutely loving Be Inspired! There are ingredients I have never worked with before so having the confidence to try something new is so much fun! The recipes are just amazing and the notes on what can be prep’d beforehand are a great help too. Thank you so much.
Deb (Belconnen, ACT)
Deb (Belconnen, ACT)
Read More
Awesome fun traveling through Emilia-Romagna experiencing first hand some of the produce I've worked with over the last couple of years cooking with Roberta's classes – the family are reaping the benefits now.
Judith (Woronora, NSW)
Judith (Woronora, NSW)
Read More
Food, wine and travel! Three of my favourite things! Be Inspired with Roberta has been a wonderful experience and given me more confidence in the kitchen. I have learnt so much, cooked things I never would have attempted without Roberta’s excellent videos, and used ingredients I have never tried before.
Sandra (Garran, ACT)
Sandra (Garran, ACT)
Read More
I'm a competent cook whose learned so much from Roberta's online cooking classes. The recipes are yummy and Roberta’s video guidance offers so many little tips to improve flavour and organise the flow of preparation. I enjoy her warmth, sense of humour, and ability to giggle at herself when she occasionally messes up.
Previous
Next
Subscribe To My Newsletter & Get A Free Online Italian Cooking Class (RRP $39)