I love seafood more than any other protein out there. Name it! Octopus, shrimps, crabs, mussels, tuna, big fish, small fish, dried, fried, raw, poached. I love them all. So, one day I asked myself, how come I never cook seafood at home if I love it so much? Well, actually there are many reasons. First off I live in Chicago, there’s not really much selection of fresh seafood. There are a lot of frozen ones but fresh ones will always be better. Another reason I don’t cook seafood at home that often is because it doesn’t hold up for a long time. You have to eat it ASAP or at least within that day so you can taste it at its peak of deliciousness (at least I try to eat it that way). The last reason is they can be pricey. For some reason when I eat seafood, it takes a lot of seafood for me to get filled. I could probably eat a whole fish (let’s take the rice out of this equation) and I won’t be full. Seriously, a fillet of fish is like a snack to me. Anyway! Back to the program! I found a frozen octopus in the grocery store and I just wanted to be “fancy” for once and “treat yo self” mentality kicked in, so I did this braise. It was so good that I was so sad when me and my husband finished it. I wanted more but I didn’t have any more to eat.

For Gremolata:

1/4C Parsley Leaves, finely chopped

1t Garlic, minced

1t Lemon, zest

3ea Anchovies, minced

Mix everything together.

2T Olive Oil

1T Dried Oregano

1T Dried Thyme

1T Paprika

1C Onions, large dice

4ea Garlic Cloves, crushed

2C White Wine

2C Water

4# Octopus

Salt

Pepper

In a pot add olive oil and then saute oregano, thyme, paprika, onions, and garlic. Cook until fragrant and onions turn translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze with white wine and then add water and octopus. Cook in a slow simmer until octopus becomes tender. For the sauce, strain the braising liquid and reduce until the sauce thickens up. Adjust the seasoning. For octopus, after braising, you can saute in a pan or grill if desired. Pour sauce on top of the octopus, and garnish with Gremolata and olive oil.