Unfamiliar foods entice me.  I’ve learned to appreciate all kinds of food and refuse to bash foods from other cultures.  I know I’m curious and greedy, but I find that at times, it can be more than rewarding to migrate from your natural habitat, which I did when I embraced this octopus.

Some years ago; I was a little girl then; a fisherman gave my grandma an octopus. Do I remember eating it? No. I have absolutely no recollection if she had even cooked it but I’m sure she did because my grandma eats EVERYTHING.

My grandma and I have similar fetishes and when I saw this octopus; Ms Dulcie (my grandma) hereditary genes lit up inside of me . Mi skin ketch a fire and I just had to bring home this creature with dangling legs. I was truly fascinated. I was experiencing one of those Praise the Lord moments.

When I brought home and whipped out my new market find, my children swore they wanted no part of it. However, my seasoned hands jumped into action and their dissatisfaction was shortlived. This was my first time preparing octopus, so I did my research and learned that it takes a while to cook. I  immediately went into Chef Ange’uscious mode and developed a kick ass, full bodied flavor for my octopus by simmering it low and slow, with some herbs and spices for about 3 hours, until it was tender. The flavor profile was OMG!!!! Matter of fact, OMG is an understatement. I can’t find words to describe how delicate, tender and flavorful my octopus had turned out. Then to top it off, I created an unforgettable culinary experience by grilling it. It was sooooooo flavorful. Those herbs really pack a punch.

I was surprised when my children decided to try it. A drizzle of herbaceous olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice on top of the grilled octopus made it all worth it. My son Robert was just eating away at MY octopus. But then again, he’s my child and that culinary genes is embedded in his blood.