Ingredients Seafood Tandoori Octopus with Yogurt, Cauliflower, and Grapefruit Be the first to rate & review! Chef Ludo Lefebvre first made this Tandoori Octopus at his pop-up restaurant in Los Angeles, LudoBites. A customer favorite, this unusual combination of flavors comes together for a surprising but delicious dish. With deep, smoky flavor from an overnight marinade in tandoori paste and a quick few minutes on the grill, the octopus is tender throughout with a crisp exterior. Ask your fishmonger for whole octopus. Frozen is fine, too—simply defrost it in a bowl of room-temperature water. Recipe excerpted from the cookbook LudoBites by Ludo Lefebvre, pages 334-336, published by HarperCollins, 2012. By Ludo Lefebvre Published on April 9, 2019 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Active Time: 2 hrs 45 mins Total Time: 8 hrs 45 mins Yield: 8 Ingredients Octopus 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil 1 onion, coarsely chopped 2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped 1 head garlic, halved crosswise 3 thyme sprigs 8 cups water 4 cups dry white wine (such as Sancerre) 1 (6- to 8-pounds) octopus, cleaned Marinade 1 1/4 cups jarred tandoori paste (from one 11-ounce jar, such as Patak’s) 1/4 cup tomato sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon molasses 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar Yogurt Sauce 1/3 cup plain whole-milk goat yogurt 1/3 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt Kosher salt Additional Ingredients 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 1 large pink grapefruit, segmented and cut into small cubes 1/4 head cauliflower, cored, florets thinly sliced on a mandoline Kosher salt Freshly ground white pepper Fleur de sel Directions Make the octopus: Heat grapeseed oil in a 6-quart enameled cast-iron casserole over medium-high. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and thyme; cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 8 cups water and wine, and bring to a simmer. Add octopus; bring liquid to a near simmer, and reduce heat to low. If necessary, cover octopus with a plate so that it remains submerged. Simmer until a small knife glides easily through octopus arm, about 2 hours. (Do not allow water to boil or the skin will fall away; slow and gentle is the key.) Remove octopus from cooking liquid, and let cool; discard cooking liquid. Cut octopus legs away from head; discard head. Make the marinade: Combine tandoori paste, tomato sauce, honey, molasses, and sherry vinegar in a large bowl. Add octopus legs; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours or up to overnight. Meanwhile, make the yogurt sauce: Combine goat yogurt and Greek yogurt in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Heat olive oil in a large cast-iron grill or skillet over high. Remove octopus legs from marinade, and lightly shake off excess marinade (The octopus should still be well coated). Add octopus legs to skillet; cook until almost black, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board, and cut each octopus leg into 3 pieces. Spoon about 1 tablespoon yogurt sauce into center of each of eight plates. Combine grapefruit and cauliflower in a bowl, and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Place about 1 tablespoon grapefruit mixture on top of yogurt sauce on each plate. Arrange 3 octopus leg pieces on each plate. Lightly drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel, and serve immediately. Chloe Crespi Photography Rate it Print