Charred Octopus with Spicy Romesco Sauce

Spicy romesco sauce is a delicious Catalonian dip that's made with roasted tomatoes, smoked peppers, garlic and nuts of your choice. It's smoky, earthy, spicy and nutty and goes particularly well with raw / roasted vegetables, seafood and meat. I got cooked octopus from one of our local supermarkets. You can also find packaged octopus tentacles from LIDL and they are perfect for the recipe.

2-3 Medium tomatoes
1 Red chilli pepper
1 Small head of garlic
150 g Smoked pepper from jar (or fresh red pepper)
4 tbsp Olive oil
50 g Walnuts (or almonds), toasted
15 g Coriander leaves and stalks
2 Limes, 1 juiced, 1 wedged to serve
Salt and black pepper
4 / 400 g Cooked octopus tentacles
1 tbsp Chives or coriander, chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Cut a cross in the bottom of each tomato and place them cut side up along with the whole head of garlic and chilli pepper on a baking pan (if you are using fresh red bell pepper, add it here as well). Drizzle with 3 tablesppons of olive oil. Roast for about 50 minutes until everything is beautifully charred and tender.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Peel the skins off the tomatoes and chilli. If you like your sauce spicy, keep the chilli seeds, otherwise discard.
Put the walnuts or almonds into a blender and whizz until fine. Add the tomatoes, chilli, garlic, smoked bell pepper, coriander and lime juice. Season well and blend to a smooth sauce.
Heat a griddle pan over a high heat until very hot. Rub the remaining oil over the octopus and griddle for 3 minutes on both sides until golden and slightly crisp. Serve immediately with the sauce and lime wedges for squeezing. Sprinkle some chopped chives or coriander over if using.

17 comments:

Christine 16/6/24 13:43: Looks good
Tom 16/6/24 14:36: ...this has never come my way!
My name is Erika. 16/6/24 14:50: I don't think we can buy octopus here. Would squid work? I can't imagine it wouldn't. Enjoy what's left to your weekend Angie.
Lola Martínez 16/6/24 15:46: Excelente combinación, pulpo y salsa romesco. Yo la prefiero sin mucho picante, pero que no falte.
Anonymous 16/6/24 19:29: I love romesco sauce — and especially how different your recipes is from mine. I definitely want to make this, and we love octopus.David (C&L)
Bill 16/6/24 20:31: Never had octopus and I don't think it is available here.
Brian's Home Blog 16/6/24 22:40: I'm not to sure about that one, it looks kind of scary!
roentare 16/6/24 23:35: I love octopus and the spicy sauces
J.P. Alexander 17/6/24 01:16: Gracias por la receta. Te mando un beso.
Margaret D 17/6/24 08:37: Looks very nice.
sherry 17/6/24 09:01: this does sound really good angie tho i don't eat octopus anymore. (they are like 3 year old children apparently, brain-wise.) It's like pigs; i just can't eat 'em anymore.
David M. Gascoigne, 17/6/24 11:39: Looks terrific. It’s a long time since I had octopus. Maybe it’s time to visit a good Greek restaurant - or come to your house! I’ll bring wine.
eileeninmd 17/6/24 11:42: I have never tried octopus, the sauce looks yummy.
Take care, enjoy your day and have a great week!
Eva Taylor 17/6/24 16:57: We adore Romesco sauce and I make it rather frequently as it goes with so many meats. I usually use toasted almonds for Romesco and toasted walnuts for Muhammara. The charred octopus is also one of my favourites.
David 17/6/24 19:08: Hi Angie, Love charred/grilled octopus! Hard to find around here but if we find it on a menu, we almost always order it... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Raymund | angsarap.net 20/6/24 04:24: This recipe for Spicy Romesco Sauce with Grilled Octopus looks fantastic! I love how the smoky, spicy, and nutty flavors of the romesco sauce complement the tender, crispy octopus. Thanks for sharing such a delectable idea!
Frank | Memorie di Angelina 21/6/24 21:53: Sounds delightful.