Community Cookbook: Neeloo’s Grilled Octopus

Neeloo (284 Grand St.) opened last week in Williamsburg offering an assortment of New American cuisine with a Mediterranean twist inspired by the flavors of the South of France.

For this week’s addition to the Community Cookbook, Neeloo’s Sous Chef and Gramercy Tavern alum, Sean Moser, has shared his recipe for grilled octopus.

See the recipe for Chef Sean Moser’s Grilled Octopus below and find last week’s Community Cookbook recipe here.

Spanish Octopus

Ingredients for ginger/star anise broth:

• 1 gallon of water
• 1/4 cup of salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons of coriander seed
• 2 star anise
• 6 carrots
• 4 onions
• 2 heads of fennel
• 10 cloves of garlic
• 2 knobs of ginger
• Peels and juice of 2 oranges
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup of white wine
• 1 cup of white vinegar

Ingredients for octopus marinade:

• 1 3/4 cups of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch parsley
• 1 1/4 cups of balsamic
• 3/5 cup of Tamari
• 5 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 5 tablespoons of garlic

Ingredients for almond purée:

• 2 cups of almonds
• 4 cups of almond milk
• Small bundle of thyme
• Small bundle of rosemary
• 4 cloves of garlic
• Salt to taste
• 2-3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
• 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

For serving:

• Confit tomatoes
• Chicory
• Balsamic vinegar
• Sliced almonds

Directions

1. For the ginger/star anise broth, combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan, bring to a simmer for 30 minutes, strain and cool.
2. Poach octopus in the ginger/star anise broth until tender.
3. While it’s poaching, combine all the ingredients for the octopus marinade in a blender and blitz until smooth. 
4. Place octopus in the marinade and leave overnight.
5. The following day, char the marinated octopus on the grill.
6. To prepare the almond purée, place the almonds in a medium saucepan with the almond milk so that the almonds are just covered by the milk and add thyme, rosemary, garlic, and salt (tip: keep herbs in a sachet whilst cooking to avoid having to strain the mixture/hand-picking them out before blending). 
7. Cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes until the almonds are slightly tender but do not boil. 
8. Transfer to a blender, add the vinegar and oil, and then blitz. 
9. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer before serving.
10. Serve the octopus on the almond purée alongside confit tomatoes, chicory dressed in balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of sliced almonds.