Greek Marinated Octopus In Vinegar (Htapodi Ksydato)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

1-1.5 kg (2.2 – 3.3 pound) octopus
14 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoon dried oregano
ground pepper
OPTIONAL: ½ garlic clove minced
Kalamata olives to serve with

Instructions

Boil the octopus. Add the octopus to a large cooking pot and cover with 2 liters of water. Add also 10 tablespoons of vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Or until tender enough when you prick it with a knife.
Cool the octopus. Remove the octopus from the pot with a slotted spoon and or cooking thongs. Set aside on a plate to cool down to room temperature.
Cut it. You can cut the octopus into larger pieces simply by separating the legs from its body. Or cut into smaller pieces. Slice thinly (½ cm / ¼ inch) the thicker parts of the legs and leave the thinner parts as is. Remove everything from inside the head and slice or cut it also.
Marinate. Place the octopus in a food container or a serving plate if you’re planning on serving it on the same day. Drizzle with the remaining 4 tablespoons of vinegar, oregano, and olive oil. Season lightly with pepper. Leave to marinate for 2 hours or ideally overnight.

Store it. Keep it in the fridge in an airtight food container for up to a week. Ideally, it should be submerged in vinegar and olive oil if necessary add an extra drizzle of olive oil to cover it.
Serve with Kalamata olives and some crusty grilled bread.